Harry Potter: Half-born
by wizmage
Summary: Unable to have a child, Lily Potter makes a deal with a fae, but deals with the fae always come with a hidden catch.
1. Chapter 1

_**One**_

Lily sighed as she closed the book and threw it onto the growing pile beside her. Leaning back in her chair, she rubbed her temples tiredly. Waving her hand, the lights in the room dimmed. She sighed in relief. Her eyes were aching from looking at all those books. She smiled to herself. Magic was really a grand thing sometimes.

As this thought occurred to her, her smile became a frown. _I'm a witch,_ she thought, _and I can't even find a fertility spell._

She felt warm arms wrap around her, hugging her tightly. She jumped, but then saw a head of messy black hair behind her. Her smile returned.

"Hello love," James said, squeezing her gently. . "How was your day off?"

Lily turned and kissed him on the lips. She breathed deeply, inhaling his familiar sent. He smelled of wand polish, ink, and parchment. "I didn't hear you floo in," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

Keeping one arm around her, James drew out the chair beside her and sat down. He lifted her onto his lap, causing her to squeak in surprise. "I apparated to the village; then walked up to the house. I thought the night air would do me good. I was stuck in the office all day, and it was such a nice day too; did you go out and enjoy it?"

A slight frown crossed Lily's face. "No," she said, some of the cheerfulness leaving her voice. "I wanted to read these books while I had some time off."

James drew his wand from his robes, and flicked it. A small bottle of brandy flew into the room.

He wasn't as good at wandless magic as his wife was something that she teased him about mercilessly. He pulled the cork out of the bottle, and flicked his wand again, conjuring a glass out of thin air.

Lily frowned. "Have you eaten yet?"

James shook his head, and poured a miniscule amount of the brandy into the glass. "Nope, I wanted to eat with you." He gestured at the books with the hand holding his wand. "I take it you haven't found anything?"

A flash of irritation crossed Lily's face, and she turned away from James so he wouldn't see it.

How could he do that? How could he just speak so casually of something that meant so much to her? She scowled down at the books, glaring at them as if they had offended her, and, in a way, they had.

She had been desperately searching for a spell or ritual for months now. That ritual was her only hope. James just could not understand that. After all, he wasn't the one who would be required to carry the child, and not just any child, but the heir to an ancient and noble wizarding family. She sighed. It may be time to consider her last option. A shudder ran through her. She really didn't want to go there if she could help it. Dealing with Them could be very dangerous.

James's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Lily? Are you listening?"

Lily looked at James startled. She had heard him speaking, but she hadn't registered the words. "What?" she said distractedly.

James stared at her for a moment in silence, and let out a huff of frustration. "That answers my question. I see that you haven't found anything today." His voice took on a gentle tone. "Don't you think we should consider other options?"

Lily flinched at his words. She knew what other options meant, but she wouldn't consider that yet, not when she still had one thing left she could try.

But would James understand? He didn't have to be the one that would bear the heir to one of the most inflooential magical families in Britain. Would he go along with her plan? It would give him a child, but it would be dealing with some very dangerous forces that the wizarding world hadn't had contact with in centuries.

No, she couldn't tell him. The chance of him refusing was too high, but she had to convince him to give her a little more time.

"What other options did you have in mind?" She asked cautiously.

James smiled. She sounded like she was willing to listen at least. "Maybe we could consider adopting. This war is destroying a lot of families, and there are a lot of orphaned children out there that could use a good home. What do you think?"

Lily shook her head immediately. "No not yet, there are still other things we can try."

James let out a frustrated breath. She could be so stubborn sometimes. Why couldn't she just listen? The odds of them having a child of their own were very low, but they could adopt, and there was the blood adoption ritual. Which, when performed, would insure that any child they adopted would be theirs by blood.

"Lily," he said trying to keep his voice calm. "We have tried everything to reverse the curse, but nothing has worked. If we want children, we need to consider other options."

Lily winced at his words. He was right of course. They had tried everything to reverse the curse that was placed on her.

There were many secrets in the world, and James and Lily happened to be one of those secrets.

They were a wizard and witch, respectively, and they weren't alone. There was a whole world of magic that had been around since time began, and the Muggles, 'the humans with no magic,' had no idea.

However, a world of magic was not a fairytale. It had its own dangers. It's most terrifying threat was a wizard named Lord Voldemort, and his followers who called themselves, 'Death Eaters.'

This group of wizards and witches believed that magic should only be kept in those families of pure blood. That meant, according to them, any family that could trace their magical ancestry back at least four generations. They believed that first generation witches and wizards should be exterminated. Unfortunately for Lily, she fell into that category.

She scowled. She'd thought blatant racism would not be present in the magical world, but it was even worse here than it was in the muggle world. To make matters worse, magicals could place curses on each other that made muggle weapons pale in comparison. Such a curse had been placed on Lily.

HPC

It had been a routine day in Diagon Alley. The wizarding shipping district had been thriving with life, until the Death Eaters came.

The attack had begun with a bang. Buildings had been set ablaze, filling the air with the smell of smoke and burning. Lily had immediately begun trying to help her fellow witches and wizards escape the alley. At some point during the attack, Lily had been hit in the abdomen with a bright purple curse.

She had felt indescribable agony for a split second, and then it was gone. After the fight was over, she had gone to see a Healer, who had given her the bad news.

The curse that had been placed on her was a powerful sterilization curse. The healer had theorized that it was probably an old family curse.

"Without knowing which curse it is, we can't reverse it and the longer the curse stays on you; the harder it will be to break."

HPC

"Lily?" James's voice was gentle.

Lily turned to look at him, and James saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "I just want a child of my own." she whispered. "Is that too much to ask for?"

James reached out and hugged her tight. "No Love," he said stroking her hair. "There is no shame in that. I think every Mother would rather have a child that was theirs. It's only natural."

Lily pulled herself together and drew away from James. "I'll think about adoption," she said wiping her eyes. "Could you give me a week or so?"

James nodded. "Of course, take all the time you need." Kissing her cheek, he stood. "I was thinking of going to the leaky cauldron for some takeaway, is that alright with you?"

Lily smiled at him, and her stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. "That sounds fine."

"Do you have any preference?" James asked.

"No, just get me whatever you have."

James nodded, and left the room after giving her one last squeeze.

When he was gone, Lily let out a sigh of relief. At least she would have a little time to decide whether she wanted to contact them or not. She wanted a child of her own, but she had to ask herself, did she want a child bad enough to contact the fae?

The fae were one of the mysteries of the wizarding world. What information Lily could find on them was scattered and contradictory. The one thing all the texts could agree on was that the fae had the power of Glamour. This was not only the power to shapeshift, but also the ability to manipulate reality around them for a desired effect. They could make swords and spears from pure magic, and some were even said to be able to make whole kingdoms with their will alone. With the power to manipulate reality, Lily hoped they would be able to lift the curse upon her. There was, however, a slight problem. Contacting the fae was expressly forbidden.

Centuries ago, the wizards had started a war with the fae. The wizards believed only they should have magic, and the fae disagreed, strongly.

The fae believed that any creature that was born with magic deserved to have it, and fought in defense of all the magical creatures. Of course, this was not the way the war was portrayed in official histories, but you could tell what really happened during the war by reading between the lines.

The fae were far more powerful than wizards, but were fewer in number. It turned out that the fae bred far slower than even magical humans.

The fae were defeated. The wizards planned to enslave them, but before they could, the nobility of the fae interfered. They gathered as many of the fae as they could and left the mortal world, retreating to their own realm.

The wizarding government, 'The Ministry of Magic,' was furious at the loss of their potential slaves. They forbade any contact with the fae, under penalty of death. They gathered up the minor fae, those that the faerie nobility were unable to gather, and bound them to rich pureblood families.

Lily looked down at the pile of books. That had been centuries ago. Would the 'house elves,' as the minor fae were now known, be willing to help contact their brethren? How much trouble would she be in if she contacted the fae? Surely, the laws that forbade contact with them wouldn't still be enforced.

She stood, and began packing the books away. Even if she could find a way around the law, she had no way of contacting the fae, and no way of forcing them to help her. Sighing, she turned and left the library. She would research the fae. That wouldn't cause any harm. Maybe she would find a way to make a pact with them.

At the door she paused. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She had the strangest feeling of being watched. She looked back at the room, but it was empty. '_It's just hunger,'_ she thought. '_I'm starting to imagine things.'_ She left the room, closing the door behind her.

HPC

A figure stood in the corner of the room. It watched Lily intently. She had good instincts. For a moment there, they thought she had seen them. She had definitely sensed them. That meant that she had at least a little fae blood in her. That was interesting. This would be worth looking into a little further. But in the meantime, she would do for what was needed. She was magically strong, for a human, and she would make a good Mother. The only question was when should she make contact? It would not do to make contact too soon. Maybe it would be best to wait for a few days. Let her find out how difficult the wizards had made it to contact the fae, and then, when she was desperate, she would not refuse the deal.

The figure smiled. Yes, this was a good plan. All they had to do was be patient, and patients were something you learned when you were immortal. Stepping back, the figure vanished from the room, leaving no trace that they had ever been there.

HPC

Lily slipped into bed beside James, stretching luxuriously as the warm blankets covered her. Lying down on her back, she stared up at the ceiling and thought about the past few days.

When Lily had returned to work, her first stop had been the Ministry archives. She was disappointed to find that the laws were indeed still enforced. Apparently, there had been a wizard in the 1890's who had attempted to contact the fae and been discovered. He had been pushed through the Vail of death the very next day.

Disappointed though she was, Lily was not deterred. She searched for any other instants where the law had been enforced, but found none. She considered. Finding nothing could mean one of two things.

First, either no one else had tried to contact the fay. Lily found this unlikely. When you told someone not to do something, it was more likely that they'd do exactly what you told them not to do.

The second option was the one Lily thought much more likely. Wizards and witches had contacted the fae, and they just hadn't gotten caught, but how did they do it? Try as she might, Lily could not find an answer to that question.

Lily rolled over onto her side and stared at the wall. It might be time to exceed to James's wishes and adopt. There didn't appear to be any way of lifting the curse. She would talk to him about adopting tomorrow. As she slipped towards sleep, she smiled. At least she would have a child of her own, even if she didn't give birth to it.

HPC

The figure watched as Lily slipped into sleep. It was time to act.

HPC

Lily blinked. She raised one hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Wait sunlight? Where was she? She took stock of her surroundings. She could hear gulls screeching and the hissing roar of the ocean. She felt sand beneath her feet. Was she on a beach?

"What do you think of my home?"

Lily spun around and stared. Behind her, stood the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Every feature was exquisitely sculpted.

She was tall and supernaturally slender, with long auburn hair that hung to her shoulders in soft waves. Golden green eyes stared at Lily expectantly, and soft full lips were parted in a smile revealing perfect white teeth.

The woman stepped forward, extending a slim, long-fingered hand. "Welcome to Avalon," she said, taking Lily's hand and kissing the back of it.

Lily shuddered as the woman's soft lips touched her skin. Tingling warmth spread from the place that the woman had kissed and seemed to infuse her whole body. With an effort, she pushed the warmth away, and cleared her throat.

"I do not mean to offend, but who are you? And what am I doing here?"

The woman chuckled lightly. "You were always curious, weren't you?" She sobered and looked Lily straight in the eye. . "I can help you with your current trouble."

Lily looked at the woman confused. "Trouble, "What trouble are you talking about?"

"The war between the wizards for starters; I also know that you are having difficulty conceiving a child."

Lily started and stared at her. Who was this woman?

The only one that knew of Lily's inability to conceive was James and her healer, and this woman definitely wasn't either of them, so how could she know about it. She was brought out of her thoughts when the woman spoke again.

"I can remove the sterility curse. It can be done right now."

Lily felt as if she'd been struck with a padded hammer. The roar of the ocean and the cries of the gulls suddenly sounded very far away. A warm hand on her cheek brought her out of her shock.

"You need not fear me. Nothing and no one will harm you while you are here."

"Who are you?" Lily whispered, her lips barely forming the words.

"I am Vivienne, the queen of Avalon, and the lady of the lake."

"But, but, she died centuries ago," Lily stammered. "How could you be her, unless. . ."

Vivienne smiled. "Unless I am a fae," she said gently, "An elf to be more exact."

"You are an elf," Lily whispered, "but elves are..." She paused not wanting to offend her hostess.

Vivienne nodded and smiled as if she knew exactly what Lily was thinking. "The elves you are thinking of are what we call 'Brownies', helpful household faeries.

The true elves are the nobility of the fae. We are the only group of fae that can successfully breed with humans. We are also known as the Sidhe in Ireland and the Fair Folk in Scotland."

Lily cleared her throat. This was a lot to take in. She decided to ask another question. "You knew King Arthur?"

Vivienne blinked, and chuckled. "Yes, I knew King Arthur, and let me tell you, he's not the kind and noble king that he was presented to be in the stories."

'_What about Merlin,'_ Lily thought, but did not say.

"Merlin was a Changeling," Vivienne said conversationally. "He had nothing to do with demons. Other than that, the rest of those stories are pretty accurate."

Lily jumped. '_Did she just read my mind?'_ She thought of asking what a changeling was, but decided not to.

Vivienne smiled. "We used to exchange children with wizarding families. Merlin was one of those children. The elves we left were called Changelings. Would you like to sit down?" She asked when Lily looked a little faint.

Lily nodded dumbly. She looked around for a chair, but saw none.

Vivienne raised a hand casually. There was no flashy incantation, no complicated wave, or intricate motion, it simply looked as if she'd seen someone she knew, and was raising a hand in greeting.

A canvas folding chair appeared on the sand next to Lily. A cup holder with a glass of ice water was attached to the right arm of the chair. Lily stared at it wide-eyed.

She had never seen such an advanced conjuration, and with such little effort too. She looked at Vivienne, and saw she was sitting in a chair too, calmly sipping from her own glass of water.

Hesitantly, Lily sat down, and picked up her glass. She took a sip, and her eyes closed in pleasure. The water was as sweet and smooth as honey.

"The waters of Avalon were always the best," Vivienne said with a contented sigh. "They convey long life, and have healing properties. Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," Lily said. She took another sip, and stared at Vivienne.

Vivienne looked back at her, an expectant expression on her face. Finally, Lily asked the question Vivienne had been waiting for.

"Can you read minds?"

Vivienne laughed. "No child, I just know that the wizards forbade contact with the fae a long time ago, and I thought you might be curious about certain things."

Lily nodded. "You said you could help me have a child. How can you do that, and why would you help me?"

Vivienne sat silent for several moments, staring into her glass of water. A pained expression crossed her face. "I always wanted a child of my own, you know? But alas, I have no husband to aid me in bearing a child, and haven't in a long time. Maybe I just want to help you, so you won't go through what I have."

"What is the catch? I assume there is one?"

Vivienne shook her head. "Not in the sense that you are thinking of. All I ask is that you love any children that you have. Spend time with them, read them stories, do everything that a Mother would do. If you agree to do that, I'll remove the curse, and make sure you conceive a child. Are we agreed?"

Lily started to agree immediately, but then she hesitated. It was said that the fae could not outright lie, but were the elves, 'as the strongest of the fae,' bound by such restrictions?

Was there some secret motive that Vivienne wasn't telling her about? Did it matter? Did she even have a choice?

If she didn't agree to Vivienne's terms she wouldn't be able to have a child, and there would never be an heir for the Potter family. A voice spoke up inside her mind.

'_You know you aren't without options. You could always adopt. James was right. There are a lot of orphaned children because of the war. You could give them a good home.'_

Lily shook her head. No, this was her chance to have a child that was hers. She would not pass it up. She sat up straight, and looked Vivienne in the eye.

"I agree to your terms," she said determinedly. "I will love any children I have, and be the best Mother I can be."

Vivienne stood. "Our bargain has been made," she said solemnly. She leaned over, kissing Lily on the forehead. "It is done."

HPC

Lily awoke with a start, and sat bolt upright in bed. '_Was that a dream?'_ she wondered. She felt a cold weight in her right hand.

She looked down, and saw she was still holding the glass of water Vivienne had given her. Placing the glass on the table, Lily lay back down. Thinking of her deal with Vivienne, Lily hoped she hadn't made a big mistake, but really, what could be the harm in loving any children she might have? She would always love her children, no matter what happened.

A/N

I own nothing related to Harry Potter. No copyright is intended.

I am blind so bare with me.

This story is dedicated to my girlfriend, Sarah. I love you, Beautiful.


	2. TwoChapter 2

_**Two**_

Albus Dumbledore dropped heavily in to his chair, and rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and the cold seemed to sink into his old bones more than it used to. He could see the wind blowing snow up against the castle, and rustling the branches of the trees around the black lake. He was grateful not to be out in that weather anymore.

It had been a long day, and it wasn't over yet. He withdrew his wand from his robes, and waved it casually.

A teapot, saucer, and cup appeared on the desk in front of him. With another wave, the teapot pored the cup full of steaming tea. Dumbledore pulled a bottle of whisky out from a cabinet, and added a generous amount to his tea. He took a long swig and sighed in contentment. Even in times of war, it was good to have these moments to relax. The thought of war made him scowl.

He was an old man, too old to be fighting. But there was no one else. He was the only one who could lead the forces of light to victory. He smiled as he thought of the interview he'd had earlier today. That interview could bring an end to the war, one way or another.

The day had started off like any other winter day. Dumbledore had arranged a general staff meeting, went to the ministry to arrange trials for the captured Death Eaters, and lastly, went to an interview with a prospective divination teacher.

He scowled at the thought of divination. He would never admit it out loud, but he viewed the entire subject as useless. It wasn't really even magic strictly speaking, and most of the so-called prophecies were self-fulfilling. But . . .

What he'd heard today was disturbing. It could cause the death of an entire family, but it could also end the war against Voldemort once and for all. The question was… What was he going to do about it, or more accurately, was he going to do anything about it?

He knew what he should do. The death of a few was a small price to pay for the survival of the many, but was he the right person to make that decision? Yes, he decided. He was the one the prophecy had been given to. Therefore, he was the one who would decide if someone lived or died. It was a heavy burden to bare, but someone had to make the hard decisions.

A sad smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. This would be a small price to pay for the survival of the wizarding world. He allowed his thoughts to turn to the interview he had just come from.

He had decided to have the meeting in the Hogs Head, a pub owned and operated by his brother Aberforth. Dumbledore believed it would be a safe place for an interview. Besides, he didn't believe he would hear anything concerning the war while interviewing a prospective teacher. He turned out to be wrong on both counts.

HPC

When he'd first met Sybil Trelawney, Dumbledore had thought her to be a charlatan, trying to ride the coattails of her famous Grandmother, Cassandra, who'd had a reputation of being a true seer. Even a skeptic like Dumbledore was willing to admit that she may have had a bit of a gift for seeing the future. She had predicted the rise of Grindelwald and Hitler, and also predicted the dates on which both would be defeated, so Dumbledore believed she was either very lucky at guessing, or she was a seer.

However, it was painfully obvious that Trelawney possessed no gift for guesswork, or mystical powers of foresight. She put on a faraway otherworldly act that would not have fooled a six year old. She spoke of predicting great and terrible events, but when pressed, she told Dumbledore that the ancient forces would not permit her to speak of what she had seen. So Dumbledore had asked her to tell him something about himself that no one else knew.

"Very well," she had said in her soft misty voice. "I don't usually use my gift for such trivial matters, but if you must have proof of my talent, then so be it."

She took on a slightly glazed look that made Dumbledore wonder if she'd had a bit of brandy before coming to the meeting. After several moments of silence, she spoke.

"You had a pet Hamster that you named Twinkles. You use to let it run around in your bedroom." Trelawney laughed merrily as if she were seeing the funniest thing in the world. "It used to chew your sheets, and your Mother would get so angry. What's this? Aw, you are cuddling it now. Did you play with your hamster a lot, Professor Dumbledore, sir?"

Dumbledore was even more certain she'd had a drink before coming here, maybe more than one. That or she was just crazy. He'd never had a pet hamster, and wouldn't even know where to find one. It was clear that Trelawney had no idea what she was talking about. He was about to thank her for her time, and tell her that unfortunately, he didn't think she was right for the position, when Trelawney changed.

She sat bolt upright in her chair, and her eyes began to roll. When she spoke again, her voice was no longer soft and misty, but harsh and cold as a breath of winter wind. Hearing those cold tones made Dumbledore shiver.

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies."

At this point, Dumbledore heard a scuffle outside. He ignored it, straining to hear what Trelawney was saying.

"And the dark lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not, and one must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

Trelawney shuddered, and went limp, almost falling out of her chair.

Dumbledore was opening his mouth to say her name, when she jerked and stared at him, confused.

"I'm so sorry Professor; I must have dropped off for a moment. Please forgive my rudeness."

Dumbledore heard himself saying something, but his mind was elsewhere. Was that an actual prophecy, and even if it wasn't, could he use it to his advantage? Would Voldemort believe such a prophecy?

There was a polite knock on the door. Dumbledore and Trelawney both jumped.

"Enter," Dumbledore called.

Aberforth poked his head into the room. "I thought you'd like to know," he growled. "There was a spy listening in on your interview. I threw him out, but I hope you didn't hear anything important in here," he said this last with a slight roll of his eyes.

Dumbledore's blood ran cold. Did this spy hear the prophecy? "Do you know if he heard anything?"

Aberforth snorted. "I would think so. He looked really relaxed, said something about a prophecy, but I wasn't really paying attention."

Dumbledore sighed. "Thank you, Aberforth," he said sincerely. It looked like the decision regarding the prophecy had been taken out of his hands.

HPC

Albus finished his tea in one long swig. He put the cup down on the saucer and stood up. He had been forced to hire Trelawney for her own protection, but that didn't solve the problem. What was he going to do about Voldemort? He knew how the dark wizard would react to the prophecy.

Voldemort would kill the child. He was paranoid and fearful of death. Therefore, it was inconceivable that he would allow a threat to his life to exist, even if that threat was a child. Dumbledore knew that Voldemort's goal was to obtain immortality, but he had no idea how far he'd gone to lengthen his lifespan.

Stretching, feeling his spine crackle, He let out a jaw cracking yawn. He needed to get to bed. He would try and think of a solution to this problem in the morning.

HPC

Severus snape shivered, and pulled his robes closer around him. He looked around the room he was in and winced inwardly.

The room was large, about 30 feet by 30 feet. Moisture dripped down the stone walls giving it a cave-like feel. There was no furniture in the room, save a high thrown in the center of the room.

The thrown was made of interlocking polished bones. Snape thought that some of the bones looked like human bones. The thought made a chill run down his spine. Shaking with fear, Snape approached the thrown, and knelt before it, bowing his head respectfully.

The man sitting on the thrown was the source of Snape's fear. This was his master, the one he'd sworn to serve for the rest of his life, Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort was tall and thin. He looked emaciated, as if a strong wind would blow him away. His face was lean and hairless, completely smooth like polished marble. His mouth was a lipless gash, looking as if it had been cut into his face with a knife. His long black hair was streaked with silver. Falling to just below his shoulders. It was held away from his face with a metal headband. He stared down at Snape with icy blue eyes tinged with red.

His long thin fingers tapped the arms of his thrown rhythmically, as if he were tapping along to music only he could hear. Finally, he spoke. His voice was low, but with a strange sibilant quality.

"Snape, you said you had something to tell me?"

Snape slowly raised his eyes until they met those of his master. He swallowed before trying to speak. He knew that his master would not take his news well.

"My Lord," he said, ducking his head respectfully. "I was following Dumbledore like you commanded. He met with a prospective divination teacher in the Hogshead. I was outside the door, and I heard something strange. The divination teacher, she sounded normal, but then she went odd."

"Odd how?" Voldemort asked.

"Her voice was originally soft and distant. She was trying her fortune telling act on Dumbledore, but he didn't fall for it." Snape swallowed at this point. He took a deep breath and continued. "She suddenly sounded harsh, almost angry. I believe it may have been a prophecy that foretells your destruction, my lord."

Voldemort was silent for several moments. He didn't show it, but he felt fear gnawing at the pit of his stomach. He had never believed in divination, but he couldn't take any chances where his life was concerned. Maybe Snape was wrong.

"What did it say?" he asked finally.

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies," Severus recited quickly, hoping if he said it fast, his master wouldn't punish him.

"That is it?" Voldemort asked relaxing. This prophecy may not be referring to him at all.

Snape shook his head. "No my lord, I only heard half of the prophecy. I was unable to hear the rest. The barkeep caught me listening and threw me out."

Pain exploded through his body. It felt as if every nerve had been lit on fire. His screamed of agony rang through the room. He tried to draw a breath0, but couldn't. It felt as if someone had dropped a lead weight on his chest and was pressing it down upon him, crushing the air out of his lungs.

Finally, the pain stopped. Snape raised his head. It felt like it weighed twenty pounds. He stared blearily at his master.

Voldemort paced back and forth. The red in his blue eyes had brightened, and they were glowing like two burning blue coals. Rage and fear battled for mastery within him. This could not be. He had done too much to allow himself to be killed. He would not be defeated. The wizarding world had to be saved. It had to be protected from the muggles, at all cost.

Voldemort raised his wand, and pointed it at Snape. He should kill him. Then no one else would know of the prophecy.

Snape waited. Green light glowed at the tip of Voldemort's wand. He knew what that meant. His master was preparing to cast a killing curse at him. He knew he should be afraid, but if this was his masters will, then so be it. Soon, it would all be over.

Voldemort opened his mouth, and paused.

Dumbledore would know of the prophecy, so killing Snape in a fit of temper would do him no good. In fact, it could harm him. Severus was an excellent potions master, and able spy. He may have more uses in the future. Besides, killing his own servant was no way to reward him for bringing him such valuable information, even if he didn't like what that information was. Voldemort slowly lowered his wand. He knew something Snape could do.

Reaching down, he helped Snape to his feet. With a wave of his wand, Voldemort conjured a chair. Another flick and he handed Snape a cup of steaming tea.

"Severus," he said gently. "Forgive me for my treatment of you. I had no right to torture you just because you brought me information I didn't like." When Snape nodded, Voldemort continued. "Now, I have a job for you. If you complete this job, you will be rewarded for your service to me."

HPC

Nine months later

Lily leaned back against her pillows, exhausted. She stared down at the two infants in her arms. Her greatest wish had come true. She smiled tearfully, and kissed each infants head. She and James had done it. They had an heir for the Potter Family and another beautiful baby boy too.

"Thank you," James said kissing her forehead.

Lily's smile widened. "You helped," she said cheekily, "a bit."

James scowled playfully. "You couldn't have done it without me."

Lily allowed James to take the boys, and snuggled deeper into her pillows. She yawned cutely, feeling sleep tugging at her.

"Sleep," James said. "They'll be here when you wake up."

Lily made an indistinct sound in her throat, and her eyes drifted closed. The last thought she had before drifting off, was of the family she would have. Now that her wish was fulfilled, nothing could ruin her happiness.

HPC

Unnoticed by the occupants of the room, Vivienne stood in a corner watching as James held the two infants. She would be watching closely to make sure Lily kept her word. If Lily failed in this, there would be consequences.

HPC

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, James's best friends, entered the room quietly. The two men made their way over to the bed where Lily slept.

"How is she?" Sirius asked softly.

James, who had been dozing in a chair beside the bed, jumped slightly. He scowled at his two best friends before grinning.

"She's fine, just tired. Would you like to see the boys?"

Sirius and Remus both Smiled and nodded eagerly. James stood, and as he did, Lily woke, and stretched. She looked over, seeing Remus and Sirius. She smiled wearily.

"Hey you two, come to see the babies?"

Sirius and Remus made noises of ascent as James walked back over. They looked down at the two infants. They were as different as they could be.

One babe was short and slightly chubby, with red hair and hazel eyes. His arms and legs were short and stubby. As they watched, He began to whimper. James handed him to Lily.

"He's hungry," James said chuckling, holding the other baby more securely. Remus and Sirius turned their attention to this child. It was immediately apparent that there was something unusual about this baby.

He was awake, but he didn't cry like most newborns would. He looked around the room curiously. His eyes were emerald green, like Lily's. They appeared to glow in the dim light of the room, and seemed to gleam with curiosity.

Where his brother was short and chubby, he was long and slender. His hair was as black as James's, but where James's hair was always perpetually untidy; the babies lay flat upon his head.

"He has Lily's eyes," Remus observed mildly.

James shrugged, looking at his sons eyes. "We are happy about that. Lily noticed that right away." James grinned. "He'll be a real heart throb when he gets older."

Sirius nodded. "I'll teach him all I know."

Lily frowned at him. "No you will not. My son is not going to be a man whore."

"Hey," protested Sirius. "I never got paid for my services. A nice and generous bloke like me wouldn't dare charge."

Remus snorted, and whacked Sirius on the head. "They were free alright. The muggles called the sixties the error of free love, but you took it to a whole new level. Was there any witch at Hogwarts that you didn't sleep with?"

"Lily," Sirius said promptly.

"Only because James was infatuated with her."

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but Lily cut him off. "Children," she said loudly, not in front of the babies."

"Speaking of the babies," James said. "What are we going to name them?"

There was silence in the room for several moments. Everyone stared at each other thoughtfully. "What about Harry James Potter," James said touching the baby with the green eyes."

Lily smiled at him. 'That sounds perfect. She kissed the other baby's forehead. "What about Brian Charles Potter for this one?"

"Perfect," James responded. He handed Harry to Lily and took Brian from her. The two parents cuddled their new children. At this moment, they couldn't be happier.

HPC

Later that night, Lily lay in her hospital bed, watching James and the babies sleeping nearby.

"Remember your promise," a voice said from beside the bed.

Lily turned to see Vivienne sitting in a chair smiling at her. "You scared me," she said smiling back.

Vivienne had been there for the past nine months. She had watched over her, and monitored her pregnancy to insure that the sterility curse had been broken. Lily was grateful to the beautiful elf for her help.

"I kept up my end of the bargain," Vivienne said gently. "Do not forget about yours."

Lily shook her head. "I promise I will be the best Mother I can be." Reaching out, she squeezed Vivienne's hand. "Thank you for all your help."

"Everyone deserves to have a family," Vivienne said wistfully. She stood up, and made her way over to the sleeping infants. She gently touched Harry's forehead. "There is one more thing I'd like to ask of you."

Lily looked at Vivienne warily. "What's that?"

"I'd like to be Harry's godmother."

Lily's eyes widened. "Why? You never said anything about this before."

"I told you that I never had a child of my own," Vivienne said softly. "I wish to be involved in this child's life."

"I'll have to talk it over with James," Lily began, but Vivienne shook her head.

"You made the deal with me without consulting your husband," she said sternly. "Can you not exceed to this request as well?"

"James doesn't know you," Lily protested. "He'd never agree."

Vivienne paused. "You can tell him I am the one that helped you conceive. I will come around to your house, so that he can get to know me. He can make Sirius or Remus Harry's godfather if you like, but I'd like to be his godmother, please?"

Lily sighed. Vivienne was right. What would be the harm? Sirius or Remus could be Harry's godfather. James would be satisfied with that. "Alright," she said finally. "You can be Harry's godmother.

The smile that lit up Vivienne's face could have lit up the whole of London. "Thank you, Lily," Vivienne said happily. "I promise you I will be the best Godmother I can be."

HPC

The next morning, Lily and James talked about the children's godparents.

"I'd like Sirius to be Harry's godfather," Lily said. "Do you think he'd agree?"

James nodded. "I don't see why not. Remus could be Brian's godfather, but what about their godmothers?"

"Alice Longbottom for Brian, definitely," Lily responded. She hesitated. "I'd like another friend of mine, Vivienne to be Harry's Godmother."

James frowned. "I don't remember a Vivienne from Hogwarts.

"She didn't go to Hogwarts," Lily explained. "I met her about nine months ago, and she helped me get pregnant."

James's eyes widened. "She was the one to remove the sterility curse?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, I want to show my gratitude for her help.'

James thought for several moments. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Lily hesitated. "I was just so happy that I was pregnant. I guess I just didn't mention her. I didn't mean to hide her from you."

James was silent for a few more minutes. "I'd like to meet her, but if she checks out, I don't see a problem with it."

Lily smiled. "Good," she said relieved.


	3. Three Chapter 3

_**Three**_

It had been over a year since the Potters had been born. Vivienne had visited the Potters, and James had agreed that she would be a fine Godmother to Harry.

Lily and James couldn't have been happier. Their two boys were growing fast and seemed as healthy as could be. Each boy was different, however, not only in looks but in temperament.

Harry was quiet. He only cried when he was hungry or needed changing. Otherwise, he was a perfectly happy baby. Even when he started teething, he hadn't become fussy or cried.

He seemed happiest when Lily was reading to him, so that became hers and Harry's thing. She would take Harry on her lap, and read. It didn't seem to matter what the book was, just as long as she was reading to him.

Brian Potter was a completely different story. For the first week after they brought him home, he had cried almost constantly. Even now, when he was a year old, he still woke James and Lily up in the middle of the night, screaming for food, or just to be rocked.

Unlike Harry, Brian did not like being read to. He would much rather be flying on a broom with James, riding his toy broom around the house, or stuffing his face with food. He was also prone to throwing fits when he didn't get his way.

"It's just a phase,' James said when Lily had mentioned this to him. "He'll grow out of it.'

Lily wasn't so sure, but she hoped James was right.

And so it was, each parent had the child they were closest to. That didn't mean they loved either child more or less than the other, just that they could identify with one child more than the other.

Lily, who had been more studious as a child, had loved to read, and it appeared that Harry had taken after her.

Brian, on the other hand, was very active, and seemed to love spending time with his father.

It was now late October, and Lily was making costumes for Harry and Brian's first Halloween. She was excited to take them trick or treating around Godric's Hollow. What she didn't realize was that she would never get the chance to take them out for candy this Halloween. Their happy family was about to be changed forever.

Severus Snape knelt before Voldemort. He bowed his head and waited for his master to speak.

"Severus,' Voldemort hissed. "You said that you had news for me?"

Snape gulped. "Yes my lord,' he said. "I got the names you wanted."

"Voldemort nodded. "Who are they?"

Slowly, Snape withdrew a piece of parchment from his robes and unfolded it. "Daphne Greengrass was born on the 27th of July 1980. Neville Longbottom was born on the 30th and the Potter twins were born on the 31st, also in 1980."

Voldemort sat stroking his chin with one finger. These families were not remarkable in themselves.

The Greengrass family was a neutral pureblood family. They had not sided with him, but neither had they opposed him. Was it possible for their daughter to be the author of his destruction?

The Longbottoms were another pureblood family, but they were firmly entrenched in the service of the light. They had escaped him three times as well, and their son had been born on the 30th of July. '_Their son would be a much more likely candidate for the prophecy. _

Lastly, there was the Potter family. Again, they were an influential pureblood family, but they had been known to marry muggles and muggleborns in the past. _'And Lily Evans is a muggleborn,'_ Voldemort thought, _'so their sons would be a halfblood like me.'_

Voldemort slowly looked up at Snape. "I will need to consider these children carefully. You have done well to bring me this information. You may go."

Snape bowed, and quickly left the room. Voldemort leaned back in his chair, staring fixedly at the closed door.

He could not afford to act rashly. If he did, he would be killed. He was not fool enough to think that his precaution against death was undefeatable, but which child should he choose?

He did not think the Greengrass girl was a threat. He was well aware her family had never done anything to him. He had no reason to attack them, and they had no reason to attack him.

The Long bottoms had opposed him from the beginning. Alice and Frank were high ranking auroras. It was plausible that their son would grow up to follow in their footsteps. Yes, the Longbottoms were a threat regardless of the prophecy. They would have to be dealt with.

The Potters troubled him almost as much as the Longbottoms. James was another high ranking auror, and Lily worked for the unspeakables, 'that mysterious office based in the ministry, but not part of it.'

They were the greatest threat to his power. He could send some of his servants to dispose of the Longbottoms, but he wanted to take care of the Potters himself.

Albus Dumbledore appeared on a hill overlooking a small valley. A man stood with his back facing him. Drawing his wand, Dumbledore disarmed the man.

The man spun around His eyes widening as he recognized Dumbledore.

"Please don't kill me," the man pleaded.

"I am not a Death Eater Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Why did you request this meeting?"

"The Dark Lord has decided to go after the Potters," Snape said a note of urgency in his voice. "He's going after Lily."

"Surely your master would not harm someone that his servant cared for. Why don't you just ask him to spare her life?"

"I tried," Snape nearly whined. "He said he would give her a choice, but he wouldn't promise anything."

"What about her sons," Dumbledore asked mildly, "will he spare them as well?"

Snape sneered. "They are his true targets. He wants to kill them before they can kill him," Snape explained a definite tone of satisfaction in his voice.

"And you do not care about that?"

"They are Potters brats. Why should I care if they are slaughtered like pigs?"

Dumbledore glared at Snape, His blue eyes chips of ice. "You would condemn innocent children to death? Children who had nothing to do with your quarrel with James Potter? You disgust me. You are truly one of Voldemort's followers. Nevertheless, I will warn the Potters, but I will try to protect all of them, not just Lily."

Snape's shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you," he said. "I just want to make sure Lily is safe."

"I am not doing this for you," Dumbledore growled. "I'm doing this for the Potters. Before I go, think of this. How do you think Lily would feel if her husband and sons were murdered in front of her? Do you really think she would turn to a Death Eater for comfort?"

Snape Winced. "Potter…" He began only to be interrupted.

"We all must take responsibility for our actions," Dumbledore snapped. "You chose to become a Death Eater and you must live with that choice."

Snape started to retort, but Dumbledore had vanished.

Scowling, Snape kicked a rock in frustration. No one understood him. It was all Potters fault that he had become a Death Eater. If Potter hadn't humiliated him, if he hadn't stolen Lily, things would have been a lot different. He would never have joined Voldemort. He would be married to Lily, and they would probably have a child of their own now. He scowled so hard his forehead hurt. He would show them all. He would save Lily, and then she would realize the mistake she had made by marrying Potter, but would he take her back? No, it was high time she knew how it felt to be abandoned and left out in the cold.

Smiling at the image of him walking away from a crying Lily, Snape vanished in a swirl of robes.

Vivienne watched Snape pacing back and forth. This man was nothing more than a petulant little child who blamed others for his own mistakes. Worse yet, his actions had endangered Lily and the children.

Vivienne wondered if she should deal with Snape now. He was a traitor and a coward. No one would miss him if he disappeared. She could kill him, but would that serve any practical purpose?

'_No,'_ she decided. _'It would not do for Snape to die,'_ she thought. _'Someone might wonder why he'd gone missing.' _

Vivienne decided that she would watch him for now. If his actions hurt Lily or the children she would decide what to do then. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sly voice behind her.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

Vivienne turned to see a short man with long matted brown hair. Squinting beady black eyes, the little man stared at her chest.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Vivienne stared at him coldly. "No one you need to concern yourself with. Go away before you get hurt."

The man laughed. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you. The dark lord will not mind I'm sure."

Vivienne stared at the little man. This had to be a coincidence. There was no way Voldemort would have had Snape followed right now. She watched as the man stepped forward, reaching out with one grubby hand.

"Last chance baby," he said leering at her. "Why don't you participate? It'll be better for you that…"

He broke off and began to choke. Vivienne slowly raised a hand.

The man gurgled and coughed. Water began to run in torrents from his eyes, nose and mouth. His eyes widened with fear. His hands clawed at his throat leaving long deep scratches.

"I never liked little pricks that enjoyed hurting people," Vivienne said conversationally.

Before the man could speak, Vivienne snapped her fingers.

The man exploded wetly, spattering blood and awful everywhere. Calmly, Vivienne turned away from the mess she made and vanished. She had a Death Eater to follow.

Lily stared at Dumbledore in horror. This couldn't be happening. They had just gotten their family. Voldemort couldn't be coming after them directly, not now.

"You have to be wrong," Lily said frantically. "The prophecy has to be referring to someone else."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not," he said gently. "Rest assured we will do all we can to protect you."

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" James asked. "You knew as soon as Harry and Brian were born that this prophecy could apply to them."

"I did not know how much of the prophecy Voldemort was aware of. I thought it best to leave well enough alone until I had more information."

James Scowled. Dumbledores reasons made sense. It would have been pointless to make them worry for no reason, but he would have preferred to know about the possibility that Voldemort would come after them directly. "What do we do now?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Do you have anyone you would trust with your lives?"

James nodded. "Sirius," he said without hesitation.

"You are sure," Dumbledore asked intently. "You know beyond doubt that Sirius would not betray you?"

"He would never betray us," Lily said quietly. He may be a bit reckless, but he would never willingly lead Voldemort to us."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good," he said, "Because what I am going to suggest is very dangerous, and will only work if you trust the person implicitly."

"The fidelius charm?" Lily asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "An immensely complex spell," he said his voice taking on a lecturing tone. "It hides a secret in a person's soul. That secret cannot be divulged unless the person willingly does so."

"We'll talk to Sirius. I'm sure he'll agree to do this for us."

"Good." Dumbledore stood up. "I need to go talk to the Longbottoms. The prophecy could apply to them as well. I do not believe Voldemort would come after them, but they could still be in danger."

"Will you suggest the fidelius charm to them as well?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I will make them the offer I'm going to make you. Do you want me to be your secret keeper?"

James and Lily thought for a moment. "No," James said finally. "No offense professor, but we want to use Sirius."

Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "I understand completely. Just remember that the offer is still on the table if you want it."

Sirius nodded emphatically. I'll be happy to help.

James Grinned. "Thanks mate. We didn't know who else to ask."

Sirius smiled, but then frowned. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

Lily looked confused. "What do you mean? You don't think the charm is a good idea?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's not that. I don't know if me being the secret keeper is a good idea. I'm too predictable. Voldemort would suspect that I was your secret keeper."

James leaned forward. "Are you suggesting we use Remus?"

Sirius shook his head again. "Remus is too obvious. If you didn't choose me, you'd choose Remus. We need someone that they wouldn't suspect us using."

There was silence for several moments. Everyone was having the same thought. Finally, Lily voiced their thoughts allowed, although she didn't sound happy. "What about Peter?"

Sirius nodded. "That is what I was thinking. No one would ever suspect we would use Peter. We could even put him in hiding too. It's perfect."

Peter Pettigrew was another one of James's best friends.

He was a small plump man with watery eyes. He had always been the quietest of the group, never actively participating in the pranks the others use to play in school, but cheering them on from the sidelines. James, Sirius, and Remus had always thought Peter couldn't hurt a fly, but Lily wasn't so sure.

She had always liked Peter, but she never understood how he got in to Gryffindor. He wasn't brave by any stretch of the imagination. He wouldn't jump into battle. He would always be at the back of the line, where there would be plenty of people between him and the enemy.

How could they trust him with their lives? What if Peter was captured? Would he divulge their location to Voldemort? Lily was afraid that the answer to that question might be yes.

James, unaware of Lily's thoughts, nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said softly. "Voldemort wouldn't ever see that coming, but wouldn't that make you a decoy?"

"That's the plan," Sirius explained. Voldemort would be coming after me. Peter wouldn't be in any danger."

Lily was silent. She didn't like this idea of Sirius's. On the surface it looked like a sound plan but…

""Are you sure we can trust Peter?" Lily asked hesitantly. "After all," she continued. "He's not the bravest person." Afraid of how that sounded, she hurried on. "I don't mean he's not nice enough, but could he stand up to torture? Because if Voldemort captured him, we all know that he would torture any of us if he thought we had information for him.'

"I know," said Sirius Gravely, "But could any of us stand up to torture for extended periods. I don't know the answer to that, and neither do you. None of us have been tortured for hours and hours. That's why I would be a decoy. My family was dark as you know. We were all tortured from child hood to insure that we had a high pain tolerance. If Voldemort captured me, I couldn't tell him anything, even if I did break. It is the ultimate protection. We can put Peter under a Fidelius charm to. He'll be perfectly safe, and so will you and James."

"Have you asked Peter what he thinks of your plan?"

"Lily, Peter will agree. He's been mine and James's friend since first year."

Lily gave up. There was no point in arguing with Sirius when he was like this.

Dumbledore sighed as he went over paperwork in his office. Everything was going according to plan.

Sirius would try and outsmart Voldemort. He always believed himself to be cleverer than he actually was. Soon, Peter would be the secret keeper, and then he would tell Voldemort what he knew, sealing the Potters fate.

A tear ran down his face. Why did things have to be this way? The Potters were his friends. Why must they be sacrificed for the greater good?

'_It's for the best,'_ he thought. _'This will save the wizarding world. Even I must make sacrifices, even if those sacrifices are some of my dearest friends.' _

_He thought back to his conversation with Snape. Was he not a hypocrite? He had called Snape a true Death Eater for not caring about James and his son's deaths, but he was planning to sacrifice them to Voldemort. How was he any different? _

'_I care,' he thought vehemently. 'As long as I care, I have not fallen to the dark.' _

_On his perch beside the door, Fawkes gave a mournful trill. Dumbledore, intent on his paperwork, didn't even notice. _

Peter Pettigrew looked at Lily and James, his eyes wide with shock.

"Me?" he squeaked disbelievingly. "Why would you want me as your secret keeper? I'm nobody," he finished his shoulders slumping.

Despite her misgivings, Lily felt a tug in her heart for the small man. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't brave. Maybe if he did this for them, it would boost his self-confidence. Besides, by accepting this, maybe he was brave. After all, there was a chance that Voldemort would come after him.

Kneeling in front of Peter, she took both his hands in hers. "You are somebody," she said firmly. "The sorting hat placed you in Gryffindor. That means that you are brave.

Peter blushed. "But," he began before being cut off by James.

"You will be protected Peter," James said gently. "You will be in no danger. We can help you go into hiding too."

Peter snorted inwardly. Hiding for the rest of his life, fearing that the dark lord was coming for him at any moment; that didn't sound like much of a life to him, but what could he say. He had to agree. If he didn't, Lily and James might suspect something was wrong.

"Alright," he said finally, a resigned expression on his pale face. "When do we cast the charm?"

Later that night, Peter paced the floor of his apartment in agitation. The charm had been cast. He was now the Potters Secret keeper. The Dark Lord would want to know where the Potters were as soon as possible. He shivered. He knew what he had to do.

James and Lily just didn't understand what it was like to be him. Despite what Lily thought, he wasn't brave or courageous. He wasn't a great wizard. If the dark lord asked him where the Potters were, he would tell him. What else could he do? Voldemort was going to win anyway. There was nothing to be gained by standing against him.

Voldemort sat up straight as Peter entered the room. He immediately noticed that his shoulders were slumped, and he was staring down at the floor.

"Peter," Voldemort said silkily. "Why are you here at this late hour?"

Peter took a deep breath. It wasn't too late. He could still leave. He could go to Dumbledore and tell him everything. There was still time to save his honor.

"Peter," Voldemort said gently. "Do you have something you want to share with me?"

Peter gulped. This was it. What was he going to choose, the lady or the tiger, honor or disgrace? Taking a deep breath, Peter looked up at the dark lord. "M-m-master," he said his voice trembling. "I-I-I know wh-where the Potters are."

A terrible smile spread across Voldemort's face. "You have made the right choice Peter, and you will be rewarded. Now, tell me everything."

Voldemort appeared across from a vacant lot. He sneered as he saw the children running around in costumes that were supposed to be scary.

The muggles had turned this Holiday into a joke. It was no longer the day of the dead as it once had been, but no matter. When he ruled, he would teach them all to honor their dead. He heard a tiny sound to his right, and turned to see Pettigrew standing there, looking miserable.

"Master,' he whimpered. "Why do I have to be here? I gave you the information you wanted, can't that be enough?"

Voldemort smiled at the small man. "You need to be here because I want the Potters to know where your loyalties truly lie." He placed one hand on Peter's shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed of,' he said gently. "I would have found the Potters anyway. I promise you that their deaths will be quick and clean. Think of your being here as a final test of your loyalty if that helps."

Pettigrew trembled even harder. It was only now that it was too late that he realized what he'd done. Anyway you looked at it; he'd condemned his best friends to death. He hated himself for his weakness. He really didn't want to follow Voldemort into that cottage. He didn't want to see the Potters faces when they realized he had sold them out to their enemy, but he had no choice. His master had commanded it, and he must obey.

'Lily and James will never forgive me,' he thought. 'It is too late to back out now. I have chosen my side, and now I must see it through to the end, whatever that may be.

Taking a deep breath, Peter Pettigrew followed Voldemort across the street.

As the two men stepped onto the vacant lot, everything changed. There was a shimmer in the air, and then a three story cottage stood before them. Voldemort's smile reappeared.

"You have done well, Peter," Voldemort said silkily. "You will be rewarded once this is over."

Peter shuddered. He didn't want a reward. He just wanted everything to go back to normal. He wished he'd never heard of the Death Eaters or Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort looked around at the small three story cottage before him. It was quaint. Maybe he could live here once he ruled the wizarding world. It would be a good way to confuse his enemies. Approaching the door, Voldemort knocked politely.

Inside the cottage, James heard the knock. 'Who could that be,' he wondered as he stood up. He could hear Lily putting the twins to bed upstairs. He walked over to the door, and grasping the handle, prepared to open it.

He happened to look out the window in the door, and his eyes widened. He recognized the blue eyes tinged with red that were staring at him. 'How did he find us,' his mind screamed. The answer to that was obvious, when James saw his old friend, Peter Pettigrew standing behind Voldemort.

"Peter," James whispered. "What have you done?"

James turned to run upstairs to Lily, but the door exploded behind him with a deafening crash.

"Hello James," Voldemort said cheerfully, as if he was greeting an old friend and the thought of committing multiple murders had never crossed his mind. "How are you? I just thought I'd drop in for a visit."

James turned to face Voldemort, drawing his wand.

"I will not let you hurt my son," he said firmly. "I'll die to protect my family.

Voldemort chuckled, raising his own wand. "James James James," he said as if scolding a misbehaving child. "I've only come for the children. Stand aside and let me pass. You and Lily need not die. You are both still young. You can have plenty of children. It is only your twins that need to die. No one need ever know. I can rewrite your memories so that it appears you put up a courageous fight, so what do you say? Just let me pass. You are a pureblood wizard. I'd rather not kill you if I didn't have to."

James stood his ground. It was terrifying how Voldemort could speak of murdering his children like it was an unpleasant but necessary course of action, just something that had to be done. He squared his shoulders, and stared Voldemort in the eye. "Never," he snarled. "I'll never let you kill my children."

Voldemort pointed his wand at James's chest. Why couldn't people just do what he asked? There would be a lot less death if they just quit fighting him.

Very well James," he said resignedly. "Remember, I tried to reason with you."

James barely avoided the jet of green light that soared towards him. He flicked his wand at the sofa, and it became a snarling wolf, which leapt at Voldemort.

Voldemort, still smiling, waved his wand almost casually at the wolf, causing it to explode into bloody fragments, before turning back into a pile of wood. He fired another killing curse at James, but he ducked and returned fire with a blazing red light.

Voldemort ducked the spell, which blew a hole the size of his head in the wall behind him. Scowling, he slashed his wand through the air.

James grunted as a long gash appeared across his chest. Blood began to soak his robes. He whipped his wand through the air, a bright blue flame shooting from the tip.

Voldemort howled in agony as his right hand was set ablaze. Enraged, he unleashed a wall of emerald green flame which roared towards James, burning the carpet and wood to ash as it came.

James made a complicated wave with his wand, and the wall of flame turned to ice, which shattered under its own weight. Panting, he directed his wand at Voldemort, and the razor sharp shards of ice flew through the air, slamming into Voldemort, who screamed again as thousands of tiny cuts appeared on his hands and face. Dark red blood began to stain his robes.

Peter watched the fight with growing horror. James was holding his own against his master. He might even win, but Peter doubted it. James was slowing due to blood loss. Soon, his master would hit James with the killing curse and it would all be over. Peter hesitated. There may be a way for him to save James, and partially redeem himself, but what would his master do to him?

James's muscles ached with every movement. He couldn't go on like this much longer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red light coming towards him. He tried to duck, but he was too slow. The red light hit him square in the back and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Voldemort looked down at the fallen man before him. He could kill him, but it was time that people saw that Voldemort was not all about murder. He would leave the parents alive, and only kill the children. After all, there was no need to kill the parents.

He looked over at Peter, who still had his wand raised.

"You have saved your friends life; it is possible he will remember that in the future."

Smiling to himself, Voldemort walked up the stairs towards the nursery. Peter following him reluctantly.

Lily crouched in front of the crib, her wand pointed at the door. She saw a figure enter the doorway, and fired a powerful stunner at the center of the figure. The figure simply batted the spell away. Lily heard a soft chuckle that raised all the hairs along her arms.

"Lily, is that any way to treat a visitor?"

"You killed my husband," Lily shot back. "You're a murderer not a visitor."

"Such accusations," Voldemort said gently. "I assure you that your husband is fine. He is simply stunned. Feel free to go and check on him. I'll look after your children for you."

"You mean kill them," Lily snapped.

"My dear," Voldemort said in a soothing tone. I am not a monster; I take no pleasure in this. This is simply something that must be done. I was told that they could be my downfall. For the good of the wizarding world, they must die."

Lily shuddered. Voldemort was truly evil. How could he sound so calm at a time like this? Lily knew she was going to die, but she would not let him harm her children. "I will not allow you to kill my babies," Lily said firmly. "You will have to kill me first.

Voldemort stepped into the room. He brushed a strand of hair out of his face, and looked at Lily pityingly. "My dear, one of my servants, Severus Snape, asked for your life to be spared. Don't make me kill you. You needn't die; all you have to do is stand aside."

Lily's eyes widened at the mention of her old friend. Then her expression hardened. "I'll never let you have my sons,' she said harshly. "You'll have to kill me first."

Voldemort sighed, and gestured with his wand. A bright bolt of red light hit Lily in the chest before she had time to react, and she crumpled to the ground.

Voldemort stepped over her, and stared down at the two infants. The chubby one lay on his back, one thumb in his mouth, his eyes closed in sleep."

The other child stared up at Voldemort, its emerald green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Well hello there," Voldemort said smiling at the child. "Aren't you a strange one?"

\The child blinked and smiled back at Voldemort, revealing one tooth in his mouth.

Voldemort stroked the top of the child's head with one long finger. It was really a shame that the boy had to die. Voldemort could sense untapped potential in him. It would have been great to take the boy as his heir, but alas such a thing could never be.

"I am truly sorry, little one," Voldemort said raising his wand. "I will make this as quick and painless as possible." He pointed his wand at the child's forehead. "Avada Kedavra," he intoned solemnly.

A jet of green light flew from his wand and hit the child squarely in the forehead. The baby let out a cry of pain and grabbed his forehead.

To Voldemort's shock, the child's eyes turned from emerald green to a golden green like cats eyes. He pulled his hand away from his forehead, and the green light came with it. Voldemort could see a bloody cut in the shape of a bolt of lightning on the child's forehead. He looked at his killing curse resting in the child's hand.

What was he doing? It appeared that he was playing with the curse, reshaping the deadly energy into a ball of pulsating green light.

"Noooo," Voldemort screamed as the child threw the ball of green light back at him.

Every window in the cottage blew outward with a tinkling crash. Voldemort, for his part, was thrown violently backward. His body seeming to disintegrate as he fell, by the time he hit the floor, he was nothing but a pile of ash.

One of the flying pieces of glass had made a ragged slash across Brian's chest. He awoke and began to wail.

Harry had lain back down in his crib, and fallen into a peaceful sleep.

Peter stared at his fallen master. This was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to leave under his master's protection. His master was supposed to win.

Peter turned to flee, and froze. A woman with long auburn hair stood before him. Her golden green eyes were glowing and an expression of utter fury twisted her lovely face.

"You will not escape your punishment, Peter Pettigrew," she hissed. She touched Peter on the forehead with one slender finger. Peter fell to the ground, unconscious.

Stepping over Peter, Vivienne looked down at Harry. She examined the bloody cut on his forehead. Gently, she stroked one finger along the cut. As her finger moved across it, the cut closed, leaving no sign that it had ever been, save a barely visible mark in the shape of a bolt of lightning.

She examined the ragged slash on Brian's chest next. It was too deep to heal and not leave a scar, but she would do what she could. As she had done with Harry, she ran her fingers along the cut and watched it close, leaving a small scar stretching the length of the child's chest. She kissed both babes on the head.

"Sleep now Children," she said gently. "I'll stay until help arrives." A few minutes later, Vivienne heard feet pounding up the stairs. She watched Dumbledore run into the room. She saw his eyes widen as he saw Lily on the floor, unconscious, but clearly still alive. He didn't even look at Peter, but hurried to the children next.

His eyes widened when he saw the ash on the floor, and the scar on Brian's chest.

"He healed himself, and destroyed Voldemort. He is truly the child of the prophecy."

'Uh-o,' Vivienne thought as she watched Dumbledore gather Brian into his arms. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore awoke Lily.

Lily sat bolt upright. "My babies," she said frantically.

"They are fine," Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Brian stopped Voldemort.

"Brian," Lily spluttered. "But how is that possible? He's only one."

Dumbledore shrugged. "I am unsure as to how it happened, but Brian Potter is The-Boy-who-Lived.

Vivienne winced as Lily took Brian into her arms and began hugging and kissing him. It appeared she had completely forgotten about Harry. Vivienne had a bad feeling about this. Unseen by Dumbledore and Lily, she moved closer to Harry, and gathering him into her arms, she rocked him gently as he slept.


	4. Four Chapter 4

Four

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office sucking on a lemon drop. He sighed in contentment. This was the life. He felt years younger now that the war was over. He knew that Voldemort would return some day, but that would not stop him from enjoying this time of peace. Over the past year, The Ministry of magic had gotten back to normal, or as normal as it ever got.

all of the Death Eaters had been rounded up. Some had been released due to claims of being under the imperius curse while others were sent to Azkaban.

The public outcry against these indeviduals had been enormous. The wizarding people had called for every Death Eater to be executed, but the ministry had refused, sighting that most of these Death Eaters were from influential pureblood families.

Dumbledore sighed. He didn't understand why people couldn't let things that happened in the war go. These poor souls had been seduced into evil acts by Voldemort.

True, the Death Eaters had made many mistakes, but the time for fighting was over. It was time to forgive lest they drive the Death Eaters back to their dark ways. Luckily, things were beginning to calm down.

Lucius Malfoy, one of the people claiming the imperius curse, had made many generous donations to ST. Mungo's, the wizarding hospital. The publics opinion towards the Death Eaters began to turn after that. Many of the other pardoned Death Eaters had been given jobs at the Ministry. Dumbledore thought this was a great idea. It was helping them readjust to society after their time with Voldemort.

A knock on the door drew Dumbledore out of his musings.

Dumbledore rose and opened the door of his office, revealing the Potters.

"James, Lily," he said smiling. "Thank you for coming."

James nodded shaking Dumbledore's hand warmly. "How are you doing, Albus?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Surprisingly well, you wouldn't believe how relieved I am that the war is over, at least for now."

"For now?" Lily asked. "What do you mean for now? Voldemort is dead, isn't he?"

Dumbledore shook his head. Sitting down in his chair, he gestured for the Potters to do the same. "How are your children?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of tea, before offering the pot to the Potters.

"They are fine," James said pouring tea for himself. "Brian is flying his broom everywhere. Harry spends most of his time reading. He's a little strange, to be honest.

Lily smiled. "I haven't had time to read to him lately. I'll need to do that. I don't want Harry to feel left out."

James frowned slightly. "Brian is the one who stopped Voldemort. It's only natural he would get more attention."

Lily looked at James, scowling. "That doesn't mean we should ignore Harry."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Brian will need training.' At the Potters raised eyebrows, he continued. "Voldemort is still alive. Brian will need to be ready for when he returns."

"Can't he have a childhood?" Lily asked. "I would prefer that my son not be trained to be a weapon. He needs something to live for when Voldemort has been dealt with."

Dumbledore nodded. "We'll start his training in a couple of years. I just wanted you to be aware that it would need to be done."

James stood, Lily following him. "Is there anything else?

Dumbledore hesitated. "Have you considered sending Harry away? His brother will be famous, and he'll be receiving training that Harry will not. It may be kinder to send Harry to liv with someone else so he won't feel neglected."

James ran his hand through his hair. "Who did you have in mind?"

Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "I was thinking of your sister, Lily. Didn't you say her name was Petunia?"

Lily glared at Dumbledore. "Absolutely not," she snarled. "Petunia hates all things magical. I will not subject Harry to her treatment. Besides, I will not choose one child over the other."

Dumbledore raised a hand placatingly. "It was only a suggestion," he said hurriedly. "I did not mean to offend."

Lily relaxed slightly. "Is that all?" At Dumbledore's nod she turned and left the office.

Dumbledore stared at James after Lily left. "We'll need to watch her. She'll need to dedicate more time to Brian. He is the chosen one, and will need to be treated accordingly.

James nodded. "I'll keep you posted."

"Good," Dumbledore said picking out another lemon drop. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

James left the office, and followed Lily down the spiral staircase that led to the office. He didn't like doing this, but it had to be done. Brian needed as much love and attention as possible because some day they may not have him anymore.

HPC

Vivienne sat on Harry's bed reading a storybook to him. Lily had always read him wizarding stories, but Vivienne had found an old-fashioned charm in the muggle fairytales. The little boy was giggling as she told him about Pinocchio and his nose that grew every time he told a lie. Vivienne stroked his hair lovingly.

"I'll have to teach you not to lie when you get older," she said teasingly. "Or your nose may start to grow."

Harry yawned seeming unconcerned about having a giant nose, and snuggled into her side. Vivienne laughed, and kissed his forehead. "Sleep little one," she said quietly. "I'll be back to read to you soon."

Vivienne tucked Harry into his bed and dimmed the light. Leaving the room, she went to check on Brian.

Brian was currently riding his toy broom around the den under the watchful eye of his Godfather, Remus Lupin.

Vivienne frowned. She thought lily said no riding the broom in the house.

"Hi Vivienne," Remus said smiling. "I take it Harry is asleep?"

Vivienne nodded. "I just finished reading to him." She watched Brian narrily avoid crashing into the wall. "I thought Lily said no riding the broom in the house?"

"He's just playing," Remus responded. "Besides, James lets him do it all the time."

Shrugging, Vivienne turned to the door. "I'll be going now. Give my regards to Lily and James, won't you?"

Remus nodded and waved to Vivienne as she left.

Vivienne walked down the street deep in thought. She had seen what she needed to. Harry was safe and happy for the moment, but she was concerned.

Lily and James had not been spending a lot of time with Harry lately. True, the war was over, and they believed Brian was the savior of the wizarding world, but had they forgotten about Harry? It had been a year. Wasn't it time for things to settle down? Harry needed to feel loved just as much as Brian did.

Vivienne thought of the deal she'd made with Lily. Had Lily Violated their agreement?

'_No,'_ she decided. James and Lily weren't completely ignoring Harry. She would continue to watch. If Harry began to be neglected anymore she would act, but she didn't want to accuse Lily of breaking their deal unless it was her only option to protect Harry. Harry was hers, and she would allow no harm to befall him, even if that meant protecting him from James and Lily.

HPC

James and Lily walked through the front door of Potter manor laughing. Remus, hearing their entrance, smiled down at his Godson.

"Brian, guess whose home?"

"Da," Brian called running to the door.

James scooped his son up and ruffled his hair. "How were you for remus?" he asked as he carried him into the den.

"He was fine," Remus answered. "He's been playing with his broom.'

Lily scowled at Remus. "I thought I asked you two not to let him ride the broom in the house?"

Remus shrugged sheepishly. "He stopped Voldemort," he mumbled.

Lily sighed. She knew that was just an excuse to let Brian do what he wanted, but she didn't want her son to be a spoiled brat. She would talk to James about it later. Brian didn't need to be riding his broom in the house. He might get hurt, or break something. For now, she turned the conversation to another topic. "How's Harry been this evening?"

"Fine, Vivienne came buy and read to him. I heard him giggling so I assume he had a good time. He's asleep now."

"Vivienne's gone," Lily asked. "She didn't stay to see Brian?"

Remus shook his head. "She only spent time with Harry. She fead him, gave him a bath, and read to him."

Lily frowned. Why hadn't Vivienne stayed to see Brian. Didn't she care about him? Brian was Lily's son too. She should be spending time with him as well as Harry.

HPC

The next evening, Harry got a book out of his room and carried it to Lily.

"Momma," he said handing her the book. "Read?"

Lily handed him the book back. "Not now, Love," she said gently. "Brian wants cookies. I'll read to you later, Okay?"

Harry was confused. Why didn't his Mommy want to read to him? She used to read to him all the time. Had he done something bad? Maybe that is why she didn't want to read to him. If he said sorry, would she read to him then?

"I sorry, Momma," Harry said bowing his head. "I sorry I was bad."

Lily stopped on her way to the kitchen, and turned back to Harry. "You haven't been bad, honey," she said softly. "Mommy just doesn't have time to read to you right now. I'll read to you in a little while, I promise.

Harry nodded his head. "Okay, Momma," he said cheerfully. He turned and headed back to his room. Hhe couldn't wait for his Momma to read to him. It was the only time he saw her anymore.

Hours later, Harry was still waiting. his Momma would be ready to read to him soon, and he would wait for her.

HPC

While Harry waited for Lily to read to him, Lily was tucking Brian into bed.

"Goodnight," she said kissing him on the cheek. "Sweet dreams."

Brian smiled up at his Mother. "Cookies good Momma," he said sleepily.

Lily smiled as she closed the door. Her son had saved them from Voldemort. He deserved the best. She heard a door open behind her, and turned to see Harry.

"Momma read now?" he asked holding up his book.

Lily yawned. "Not tonight Harry, Mommy is tired. I'll read to you another night." She followed Harry into his room and tucked him in bed. "Goodnight," she said leaving the room.

Harry rolled over in bed. He hadn't even gotten a kiss goodnight. He must have been really bad.

He heard a rusle of air and felt a weight setle on the bed.

"Hi Love,' Vivienne said softly. Seeing his sad face, she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Momma doesn't have time to read to me anymore," Harry said sadly. "She only has time to spend with Brian."

Vivienne's frown deepened. She wrapped her arms around Harry, hugging him tight. "What if I read to you," she said gently.

Harry's face lit up. "Really," he said.

"Really," Vivienne confirmed with a chuckle.

Jumping out of bed, Harry picked up a book from a small table and hurried back to Vivienne.

Vivienne took the book from him. She was amused to see it was Jack and the Beanstalk. She lifted Harry on to her lap and began to read.

"Once there was a boy named Jack. He lived with his Mother in a small cottage. They were very happy, but they didn't have much moneyvery."

HPC

Three years passed, and Harry began to become obscure in his own family.

His Mother, who had once read to him every night, and tucked him in with a kiss now spent all of her time doting on Brian. She rarely even aknoledged he was there. His father ignored him completely, but that was nothing new.

Brian became spoiled and selfish. Whatever he wanted he knew all he had to do was scream for it, and he'd get it. He had quickly figured out that Harry was ignored, and delighted making Harry watch Lily or James spend time with him.

With every passing day, Harry felt more and more alone. His Mommy and Daddy didn't care about him anymore. Even his Godfather, Sirius, forgot about him.

There was only two things he looked forward to and those were visits from his Godmother, and his birthday.

His Godmother was the only one who seemed to love him. She always brought him presents, and read him stories. She never failed to come in and give him a goodnight kiss. She had even begun teaching him magic. He could now make things float, not even Mommy and Daddy could do that without a wand. He liked his birthday for another reason.

His birthday was the only day where his Mother eknolledged him. Today would be different, though. Sure, he didn't get any presents, but at least he saw his name on the cake and got a kiss from his Mum. Harry treasured each birthday like a priceless jewel. Seeing his name on that cake made him feel like his parents hadn't forgotten him completely, and today was his birthday.

He hurried down the stairs and entered the kitchen. What he saw there broke his heart. Tears began to run down his small face.

There were his parents and brother sitting around the kitchen table. A pile of presents were in front of Brian, and in the middle of the table was a giant birthday cake with Brian Potter on it in emerald green icing. Brian Potter, and no other name.

'They forgot about me,' he thought miserably. Slowly, he trudged out of the room, head down. This was the worst birthday ever.

Vivienne watched as Harry walked awayhis small shoulders slumped. This was the last straw. James and Lily had gone too far. Rage was rising inside of her. She had given them every chance to correct their actions, but they had not. She could not allow this treatment of Harry to continue any longer. It was time that they learned why you never break your word to the fae.

Vivienne stepped into the kitchen. "Lily Potter," she thundered her voice making the windows rattle. "Do you know what you have done?"

Lily turned to the doorway, her eyes wide. "Vivienne, what are you doing here? Have you come to Brian's birthday party?"

"Brian, Brian," Vivienne shrieked. "Did you forget about Harry? It is his birthday to.'

"Harry," Lily asked. "Of course it is his birthday. What are you so…" Her eyes fell on the birthday cake, and widened.

"Where are his presents," Vivienne hissed. Her eyes were blazing, and her skin seemed to be glowing faintly. "Why isn't his name on the cake?"

"Brian is the Boy-Who-Lived," James spoke for the first time. "He needs more attention than Harry.'

Glaring at James, Vivienne snapped her fingers. Both James and Brian slumped in their chairs, unconscious.

Lily screamed. "What have you done?" She ran to Brian, cradling him in her arms.

"Relax," Vivienne said calmly. "I have merely put them to sleep so we could talk, and believe me, we have much to discuss."

"What are you talking about? I have done nothing to offend you."

"Do you remember our deal?" Vivienne asked conversationally. "Do you remember the only thing I asked in return for helping you have a child? Do you remember what you promised?"

Lily thought back to that conversation so long ago. She felt her heart sink as she remembered what she had promised.

"I promised to be the best Mother I could be," she whispered.

Vivienne nodded. "You promised to love any children you had. You have not kept that promise."

"The war… Brian…" Lily began, but Vivienne cut her off.

"The war is long over. I gave you four years to correct your mistake. I've watched you ignore my Godson. I watched as he wasn't tucked in at night, as he didn't get presents at his birthday or Christmas, and finally, I watched as you forgot to put his name on his birthday cake. I know it is such a small thing, but it is the last straw. I declair our deal broken, and I will now take what is mine."

"You can keep your supposed savior. I am taking my Godson away from here, so I can give him the love and support he needs."

"No," Lily whispered. "Give me a chance to fix it."

"Fix it," Vivienne snarled. "You can not fix five years of neglect with a hug and a few presents."

"You knew this would happen," Lily spat suddenly furious. "That's why you wanted to be Harry's Godmother. Why didn't you try and stop it? Why did you let me ignore my son.?"

"Free will," Vivienne whispered. "Besides, if I would've told you what was going to happen would you have believed me?"

Lily opened her mouth to say yes, but then she paused. The truth was she probably wouldn't have believed Vivienne. "I never meant for this to happen," Lily whispered brokenly.

Vivienne's expression softened. "You will see Harry again," she said gently, "but I can no longer allow him to be neglected."

Turning, Vivienne started to leave the room. She paused at the door. "I will leave it up to Harry. If he wishes to stay; I will not take him to Avalon."

Lily fell to the floor as Vivienne left the room. Her body shook with sobs as the reality of what she had done hit her. She had lost her son, and she had no one else but herself to blame.

She straightened suddenly. She would not let Vivienne take him. Deal or no deal, she would keep Harry here, and she would make up for her mistakes. She drew her wand and headed for Harry's room.

Vivienne was almost to Harry's door when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Lily walking towards her, wand drawn, and a determined glint in her eyes.

"Will you fight me?" Vivienne asked calmly.

"Yes,' Lily snarled. "I will not allow you to take my son. I may have made some mistakes, but I'll fix them, whether you approve or not."

Vivienne felt her respect for Lily rise. "Very well," she said solemnly.

As Lily watched, Vivienne changed.

She grew taller, and her pale skin began to glow with a bright ethereal light. Her ears lengthened and became pointed at the tops, Her eyes changed from golden green to a pure glowing gold, and her nails lengthened into short lethal looking clause.

"What are you?" Lily asked horrified.

"The fae are natural shapeshifters,' Lily answered. "We can change from one shape to another as easy as breathing. This is the shape I prefer when I am going into battle."

Lily raised her wand. None of this mattered. She would stop Vivienne, at all costs. She fired a powerful blasting curse at her son's godmother.

Vivienne waved her hand. A wall of ice appeared before her. The blasting curse struck this, and fizzled out.

"You will have to do better than that," Vivienne taunted.

Lily fired a chain of stunning spells, and ending with a cutting hex.

Vivienne blocked all but the cutting hex, which made a deep gash above her right eye. Silver blood ran down her face from the wound.

Vivienne wiped the blood away, and looked at it fixedly. The blood began to bubble. Slowly, it hardened. It shifted and rithed as if it were alive, twisting and lengthening until it became a three foot silver sword.

Vivienne took careful aim, and swung the sword at Lily's wand. There was a crack and a shower of sparks and Lily's wand fell to the carpet in two pieces.

"Our battle is over,' Vivienne said gently. We are both unharmed. Let it end here.

"No," Lily hissed, forming a ball of blue flame in her hand. "You will not take my son." She hurled the ball of flame at Vivienne.

Vivienne flicked her hand. The ball of fire froze in mid air. It fell to the floor and shattered.

Swiftly, Vivienne stepped forward, and placed a palm on Lily's forehead.

"Sleep," she said forcefully.

Lily slumped to the ground fast to sleep. Stepping over her, Vivienne removed the silencing ward she had placed on Harry's door. She slowly opened the door, changing back to her normal form as she did so.

"Go away," Harry said from underneath his covers.

"It's me Harry," Vivienne called shutting the door behind her.

Harry pushed the covers off, and rushed over to Vivienne, throwing his arms around her. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't realize it was you."

Vivienne kissed his forehead. "No harm done," she said. "I came to ask you a question."

Harry looked up at Vivienne curiously. "What kind of question?"

Vivienne stared deep into his emerald green eyes. "Would you like to come and live with me? I promise you will get all the love and attention you could ever want."

Harry's eyes widened. This could be his best birthday ever. "Really," he said in an excited whisper. "I could come and live with you?"

"Really," Vivienne responded.

"Yes," Harry said excitedly. "That would be great, but what about my Mum and Dad? They would never agree to it.'

Vivienne smiled. Snapping her fingers, she produced a roll of parchment out of thin air. "Your Mother broke her word," Vivienne explained laying the parchment on Harry's bed. "That means that I have all rights to you."

Harry sat thinking for several moments. Finally, he nodded his head and took Vivienne's hand. "Okay," he said, but will you tell me what promise she broke?"

Vivienne thought for a moment. How should she phrase this?

"Your Mother," she began hesitantly. "Your Mother had trouble having a baby. I came to her and offered my assistance, but under the condition that she love and cherish any children she had. By ignoring you, she broke that condition."

Harry nodded, and looked around his room. "Do I need to pack anything?"

Vivienne shook her head, "Allow me."

Vivienne's eyes glowed golden briefly, and all of Harry's clothes and possessions vanished from the room. "are you ready to go?"

Harry nodded. With a rustle of air, Vivienne and Harry both vanished, leaving Harry's room with no sign that he'd ever been there."


	5. Five Chapter 5

_**Five**_

Lily awoke slowly. Where was she? She felt around. She .was on a hard wooden surface. She blinked. She was lying in the hallway outside Harry's room. Wait? Harry?

She sprang to her feet and ran into the room. She looked around at the barren walls. She stared at his bookshelves.

They had once been full of books, but now they were empty, not one book remained. She hurried to his closet and jerked the doors open.

All of Harry's clothes were gone.

"No no no,' she said rapidly.

She ran down the hallway to the kitchen. James and Brian were slumped over the table. Lily pointed a finger at them.

"Innervate," she said her voice quivering.

James and Brian sat bolt upright. "Lily," James said. "What is going…" He stopped when he saw the look on Lily's face.

"Harry's gone," Lily said dazedly.

"Gone?" James said. "What do you mean gone? Has he run away?"

"He-he was kidnapped," Lily said haltingly.

"We'd better call Dumbledore,' James said at once.

HPC

Half an hour later, Dumbledore arrived. He listened as James said Harry was kidnapped. He frowned. This was not part of his plan.

It was true that he'd wanted Harry out of the way, but he'd wanted to be able to keep an eye on him. After all, it would not do for the brother of The-Boy-who-Lived to turn dark. Now that plan was in tatters.

"What exactly happened,' Dumbledore said. "Why wasn't Harry with you and lily on his birthday?"

Lily shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to have to tell Dumbledore what she thought. He was one of the most respectable wizards in the magical community. What would he think of her? Finally, she took a deep breath, and began to explain.

"Harry slept until about half past nine, and then he came running down to the kitchen. He walked in, and then he just turned right around and left."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see," he said calmly. "What would have caused such a reaction? Do you have any idea?"

Tears began to run down Lily's face. "We forgot," she said brokenly.

"Pardon?" Dumbledore said confused.

Lily pointed to the cake, and then to the presents. "We forgot to put his name on the cake. We forgot to get him presents." Lily laughed harshly. "The sad thing is I don't know how long this has been going on."

Dumbledore nodded. "What makes you think Harry's been kidnapped? It seems to me that he could have run away.'

Lily shifted. "Vivienne," she said almost too soft to hear. "She took him.'

Dumbledore was confused. "Who is Vivienne?"

"Harry's godmother," Lily explained. She helped break the sterility curse on me. She is the one who took Harry."

Dumbledore frowned deeply. He asked Lily to explain the sterility curse. After Lily had finished, Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought.

No wizard could've broken the curse placed upon Lily. They just didn't have sufficient power. Slowly, he made his way down the hallway to Harry's room. He stood in the center of the room. He concentrated, opening up all his senses.

Most people didn't realize that wizards could sense magic, and recognize what creature it belonged to. It was an old trick that had fallen out of favor, but Dumbledore had made sure to learn it when he was young. Now, he used it to try and determine what Vivienne was.

As his senses opened, his vision sharpened until he could see the pours in the paster of the walls. He took a deep breath. He could smell earth, fire wind, and water, and something that smelled like baking Gingerbread. He needed more information. He concentrated so hard that his head ached, and blood began to trickle from his nose. Slowly, an image began to form.

Harry was lying on his bed, tears running down his face. A woman with long auburn hair walked into the room. Dumbledore noticed her golden green eyes. His eyes widened. What was a fae doing here?

He watched as the woman snuggled Harry. He continued watching as she tucked the covers around him and kissed him goodnight. It was clear that this woman loved Harry very much.

Dumbledore allowed his sight to fade and fell back against the wall, exhausted. This was not good. Had Lily knowingly made a deal with the fae?

Why would she do such a thing? She knew that it was expressly forbidden to have dealings with the fae.

Slowly, Dumbledore turned and left the room. He made his way back to the kitchen. Sinking into a chaor, he looked at Lily sternly.

"Did you know that it was one of the fae that helped you have a child?"

Lily squirmed under his stern gaze. "Yes," she whispered almost too softly to hear.

Dumbledore's blue eyes were hard. "You are aware that summoning the fae and making deals with them is an act punishable by death?"

Lily stiffened. She glared at Dumbledore. "I didn't summon her," she said through gritted teeth. "She came to me, and offered her help. She didn't ask anything that was too difficult to give."

Dumbledore relaxed slightly. This was unprecedented. The fae had never offered their aid without being asked. "What exactly did she ask for in return?"

Lily lowered her head. "She didn't."

"What?" Dumbledore asked surprised. "She asked for nothing for herself?"

Lily shook her head. "All she asked was that I love any children I had to the best of my ability."

Dumbledore was confused. "Why would she take Harry? You have loved Brian and Harry to the best of your ability. Did she break her word? The fae are not supposed to be able to do that."

Lily was shaking her head. "I did break my word,' she said beginning to cry. "James and I paid more attention to Brian over the years, and nearly forgot about Harry. When we forgot to put Harry's name on the cake, Vivienne said that our deal was broken."

Dumbledore nodded. "That sounds like the fae, but I am surprised that she waited this long to declaire the deal broken, but then Vivienne was always strange, even for a faerie," Dumbledore finished thoughtfully.

"You've heard of her, Albus?" James asked speaking for the first time.

Dumbledore nodded. "When I apprenticed with Nicholas he mentioned her. He said Vivienne was far more powerful than Merlin ever was. According to him, she could bend time and space to her will. Her elements to control were air and water, but she could not have the one thing she wanted."

"Which was?" James asked.

"A child," Dumbledore said quietly. "She wanted a child more than anything, but she was unable to have one for whatever reason." He paused as he finished speaking.

More tears ran down Lily's face. She could feel her heart breaking. "she has one now," she said quietly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Vivienne is the queen of Avalon," he said. "I'll try to find a way there. We can try and get Harry back, but it'll take time."

Lily nodded vigorously. "Please,' she said softly. "I want my son back."

Dumbledore nodded. He placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "We'll get him back, I promise."

Lily sniffled. "Thank you, Albus." She turned to James. "Are we good?"

James smiled at his wife. "Yes love," he said hugging her. "We wouldn't have a child if you hadn't talked to Vivienne. We still have one child, and we'll get Harry away from that woman."

Lily hugged Jame back. Reaching over, she pulled Brian into the hug. He'd been awful quiet through all this. Was he alright? As if answering her question, Brian spoke.

"Can we have cake now?"

HPC

Sirius belched loudly. He banged his glass back on the table and sighed sadly. He looked around the room blearily.

The waste basket was full of licker bottles. Half eaten food littered the floor, and takeaway boxes were stacked three feet high in the corner. Dirty dishes were stack in the sink.

He had been here, in his apartment for the last few days. He had gotten a warning from work two days ago. It informed him that if he didn't return by the next morning, his employment would be terminated.

Sirius didn't care.

Sirius didn't care about any of this. All that mattered to him was that he had failed. He reached for another licker bottle.

"Why are you doing this?" a voice said.

Sirius blinked at the woman sitting across from him. She hadn't been sitting there a minute ago. He was pretty sure of it.

She was short and plump. Small pudgy hands were folded on the table in front of her.

She looked at Sirius with soft blue eyes.

"Who're you," Sirius grunted. "I didn't call a hooker."

The woman scowled at him, her eyes flashing. "I'm no whore, Sirius Black, and if you call me one again I'll make sure you can never again enjoy the pleasure of a woman, got it?"

Sirius snorted. "Like I haven ever heard that before."

The woman didn't appear to be listening to him. She was staring around the room, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Do you ever clean your house?"

Sirius shrugged, and didn't answer. The woman turned back to him. "I ask you again. Why are you doing this?"

"Someone took my godson," Sirius laughed hollowly. The sad thing is, I didn't know him at all. I spent too much time spoiling his twin brother.

The woman nodded. "What would you do if I told you I knew where Harry was?"

Sirius sat up straight. He looked at the strange woman, his grey eyes sharp and attentive. "You know where he is? Where is he?"

The woman raised her hand. "You didn't answer my question. What would you do if you found Harry? Would you go and tell his parents? Would you return him to them?"

Sirius started to say that of course he would tell James and Lily. They were his parents, and he belonged with them, but then he paused.

James and Lily had been spending almost no tome with Harry over the past two years. The poor kid had been left alone. If it hadn't been for Vivienne, there would be no telling how the boy might have turned out.

"No," Sirius said quietly. "James and Lily had their chance." He grimaced. "So did I, to be honest. I just want to make sure Harry is alright. If Vivienne agreed, I'd like the chance to make it up to him. I never meant to ignore him."

The woman nodded. "Alright," she said, and just like that, she was gone.

Vivienne sat in the chair across from Sirius. She smiled at the expression of shock on his face. "Vi-vivienne?" Sirius whispered. She nodded.

"Where's Harry? Is he safe?"

Vivienne smiled. "He's at my home. Now," she said, "We need to get back to business. You said that you wanted to establish a relationship with Harry?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes," he said eagerly. "I just want to be there for him."

"Do you swear not to reveal his location to James and Lily?"

"I swear," Sirius said solemnly.

Vivienne stood up, and reached out for Sirius's hand, "Come on then."

Sirius hesitated. Where are we going?"

"My home, of course."

Sirius took Vivienne's hand and with a rustle of air, they vanished."

HPC

Brian lay in his warm bed. He smiled happily. This had been a great few weeks.

It had all started on his birthday. Harry had run away, leaving all the attention for him. Sure, his Mommy had been sad for a while, but now she was paying attention him. Sometimes he wondered where Harry was, but on the whole, he was happy his twin was gone.

After all, he was the one who had stopped Voldemort. He deserved all the attention. As sleep began to tug at him, he thought of all the glory he would have once he went to Hogwarts.

He would be the most famous wizard at the school, aside from Dumbledore. He would rule the school, but that was a long time from now. He had plenty of time to prepare for Hogwarts.

HPC

Lily Potter lay in bed listening to James snore. She smiled. His snoring was so adorable. She loved her family.

Her husband was so sweet and loyal, and her darling son was the most precious child she had ever seen. As sleep claimed her, she thought of how lucky she was to have such a good family. A small niggling voice asked _'What about Harry?'_

The thought caused a thread of disquiet to rise inside of her. Who was Harry? Was he one of James friends? She yawned. It probably wasn't important. She would worry about it later. She slipped into sleep.

Contrary to Lily's belief, James was not asleep. He lay staring up at the ceiling. Guilt twisted inside of him.

What had he done? He was manipulating his wife's mind. That was illegal in all magical courts. Of course, he told himself that it was all for the good of his son, but he knew better.

He liked having a wife that obeyed him without question. The fact that she wasn't herself was beside the point.

'No,' he thought savagely. _'This is the way things are. Brian needs this. What does it matter if I enjoy the side effects of this' solution. Lily is my wife. She's supposed to do what I say.' _

At this thought, James's mind calmed._ He began to look at things objectively. _

Brian would grow up to stop Voldemort, and James and Lily would be his parents. They would be famous, and the Potter family would be known as the family that produced the slayer of the worst dark lord in history.

James sank into sleep, dreaming of the awards his son would bring his family.


	6. Six Chapter 6

_**Six**_

There was a place in the Albanian forest, a place where animals avoided, lest they wanted to suffer a painful death. The ground was bare blackened earth. The trees that grew here were gnarled and twisted, as if they had been changed by some terrible force. The sun still shone in this part of the forest, but the light was noticeably weaker than in other parts of the forest.

A dark shadow dwelt in this part of the woods. It was hungry, so hungry for what it no longer had.

This shadow had the ability to possess any living creature, and to draw there life out of them. It cared naught for the creatures it killed. Its only desire was to stay alive, and taking the lives of these small animals aided it in this endeavor.

This misbegotten thing was what was left of the soul of Lord Voldemort. He had fallen far from the powerful wizard he'd once been.

He'd once been strong, magically powerful, and feared by many. Now, here he was, weak, formless, and barely clinging to a semblance of life.

He was currently possessing the body of a serpent, but he knew that his current host wouldn't last much longer.

The serpents once green scales had turned a dusty grey and began to flake. Its muscles twitched uncontrollably. Voldemort struggled along in the snake's body sliding over the ground, leaving strips of skin and blood behind him.

'_I can't stay here any longer,'_ he thought. 'If I do, I'll lose what little life I have managed to obtain. Voldemort slowly rose out of the snake's body which crumbled to dust.

The spirit settled in a tree overlooking the forest. He was so tired. These little drops of life he stole only helped him so much. It was like giving a man dying of thirst a few drops of water. It helped, but not enough. He needed more. He needed an ocean of life to feed upon, but more than that, he needed a body. But alas, there was no hope of obtaining that by himself. To regain a physical form, He would need help.

He had been rotting in this forest for twelve years. None of his supposed followers had come for him. Those who had sworn eternal loyalty had abandoned him as soon as his power had broken.

If he ever regained a body; he would make them all suffer for their lack of faith. He thought back to the fool that had come in his forest a little over two years ago.

He had been young and naive, but he had helped him. He had allowed Voldemort to possess him and taken back to England. By drinking unicorn blood, this new servant had made Voldemort stronger. It was due to that blood that he was still alive now. The man had served his purpose and helped him retain his life. For that, Voldemort knew he would always remember the man's sacrifice.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore smiled happily as he entered his office. Everything was going according to plan. Brian was showing great progress. Sure, his grades weren't the best, but the boy had stopped Voldemort twice. That had to be indicative of some kind of hidden power even if it didn't show up in the childs schoolwork.."

Dumbledore sat down and picked a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk. As he flipped through the sheets of parchment in front of him, he began thinking over the past two years.

HPC

Brian had started Hogwarts as a slightly cocky student. Dumbledore hadn't wanted him to be so confident, but he'd accepted the situation for what it was, and devised a test that would determine Brian's current skill level.

Dumbledore's friend, Nicholas Flammel, had created a philosophers stone, an object that produced the elixir of life, and could turn any metal to gold.

Nicholas and his wife had used the stone to increase their wealth and prolong their lifespan far past that of ordinary wizards. They had lived a quiet life for over six hundred years. However, all that changed when the stone was nearly stolen from Gringots, (the wizarding bank.)

In fear for their lives, Nicholas had contacted Dumbledore, asking for help protecting the stone.

Dumbledore had immediately agreed. This was perfect. He knew who was after the stone. There was only one person it could be, Voldemort.

He would use the stone as bate to draw Voldemort to Hogwarts. He would then force a confrontation between Brian and Voldemort.

Things had gone according to plan. Dumbledore had left just enough clues to help Brian follow Voldemort to the stone. Brian had confronted Voldemort, who had been possessing the current defense teacher.

Dumbledore was not sure what happened next, but the confrontation had ended with the defense teacher dead, and Voldemort fleeing the castle.

Dumbledore assumed Brian had released some kind of hidden power, and destroyed Voldemort's host. He had rewarded the boy, giving Gryffindor enough points to overtake Slytherin.

However, not everything had gone to Dumbledore's plan. Nicholas had been furious when he discovered what Dumbledore had done. Looking back, Dumbledore supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Nicholas did have about six hundred years seniority on him. It was inevitable that Nicholas would have discovered what he had done.

He frowned as he remembered there conversation.

_**HPC**_

Nicholas stared at Dumbledore in disappointment. He couldn't believe what the fool had done.

"Why, Albus?" he asked finally. "You could have gotten both Perenel and myself killed."

Dumbledore frowned at his old mentor. Surely he understood that sacrifices must be made.

"Nicholas," he said in his gentlest tone. "Surely you understand that risks must be taken to win the war against Voldemort. It is true that there was a slight possibility that your stone would be destroyed, but if it had, it would have been for the greater good.

Nicholas scowled at Dumbledore. "You have changed old friend," he said finally. "The Dumbledore I knew would have never played with people's lives the way you are. You talk of sacrifice, but you are sacrificing nothing. You are the one who sends others out on the battle field to die while you sit behind your desk directing the troops like some giant chess game. Tell me, What exactly have you sacrificed for the good of the wizarding world? You are the chief of Britain's wizarding court, Britain's representative at the International confederation of wizards, and headmaster of their greatest magical institution. It seems to me that you have all the power you could desire, despite your claims that you don't want power."

Dumbledore winced at Nicholas's words. "I have sacrificed the most in this war," he said calmly. "I sacrificed my peace of mind. I have to try and sleep at night knowing that I sent good men and women to their deaths. I have to try and sleep knowing that if I hadn't done this, more innocent people would have died. It is a no win situation. Someone needed to lead, so I stepped up and took the responsibility upon myself."

Dumbledore's face hardened his voice turning cold as ice. "I didn't see you coming to help us in our hour of need, so do not judge me on the decisions I was forced to make when you have not walked in my shoes."

Nicholas stayed silent for a moment allowing Dumbledore to finish his justification. If one looked at it a certain way, Dumbledore had a point. He hadn't come to help, but Voldemort was Great Britain's problem. Nicholas hadn't wanted to involve France in fear that the war would spread past the shores of great Britain and to the wider wizarding world.

"You are correct, but you endangered mine and Perenel's lives. You told us that you would protect the stone, not use it as bate to draw Voldemort to a school full of students."

"I had everything under control," Dumbledore protested mildly. "I would have allowed no harm to come to the students under my care."

Nicholas slammed his fist down upon the table. "What if things had gone out of your control," he thundered. "You could have never planned for every scenario. What if Voldemort had taken all of the children hostage? What would you have done if he'd told you that he would start killing a student for every hour you refused to give him the stone?"

Dumbledore hadn't considered this. Thinking about it logically, he knew that Voldemort would have no qualms about holding students hostage. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the fact that he obviously hadn't considered it either. He realized that had Voldemort done so, Dumbledore would have been powerless to stop him. He couldn't have dueled him. It might have injured or killed even more students. He may have been forced to give Voldemort the stone, and then what would have stopped Voldemort from killing the students anyway, just to spite him Dumbledore stared at Nicholas in horror, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.

"I see you never considered that could happen," Nicholas said standing up. He walked to the door and held it open, gesturing for Dumbledore to leave. "It's time for you to go, Albus," he said gently. "We have reached a parting of the ways. I can accept you endangering my life, but I cannot forgive you for endangering Perenel. Leave now, and don't come back."

Dumbledore left the house and returned to Hogwarts. For the first time in fifty years, he cried.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore had continued on with his plan. It was the only thing he could do. Nicholas just didn't understand the concept of the greater good. He could afford to ride his high horse and protect France, but Dumbledore carried the burden of looking at the bigger picture. Unlike Nicholas, Dumbledore had to protect the whole wizarding world, and if that meant the sacrifice of a few lives, then so be it.

The rest of the summer proved to be a challenge. He'd had a lot of difficulty finding a defense against the dark arts teacher. The only applicant was Gilderoy Lockhart, a self-centered idiot who knew nothing about teaching defense.

Dumbledore had no choice. He hired the idiot and hoped for the best. Hopefully the oaf would be able to teach the students how to do something besides how to style their hair.

Brian's second year had started with a 'bang," literally. Brian and his best friend Ron Weasley had crashed a flying car into the Womping willow, an enchanted tree on the Hogwarts grounds.

Dumbledore had been very disappointed in the two boys. He had threatened them with expulsion if they ever pulled this stunt again. Things had been quiet for the next month.

Gilderoy had proved to be as inept as Dumbledore feared he would be, but there was nothing he could do about that. He would just have to hope that the students could study defense well enough on their own to pass their exams. He was looking forward to a quiet year while he thought of a way to test Brian, but then the trouble started.

On Halloween, the caretakers cat, Mrs. Norris, was petrified. Unsurprisingly, Ron and Brian were found at the scene. The caretaker, Argus Filch, had immediately accused the two boys of killing his cat.

Dumbledore had recognized the petrification for what it was. The cat was not dead, but merely frozen in a stone-like state. He had told Filch that his cat would be able to be cured and sent the boys to their beds.

Dumbledore had been elated and horrified at the same time. On one hand, he had the perfect test for Brian, and without him having to do anything.

On the other hand, The Chamber of Secrets, (a mysterious chamber created by one of the founders had been opened again.) This wouldn't be a problem, if not for the ancient beast that supposedly resided in the chamber. Dumbledore decided to let things play out and see what happened.

Dumbledore had watched Brian and Ron very closely. Listening to their conversations, he learned that they suspected Draco Malfoy, (the son of an influential pureblood with whom Brian and Ron did not get along,) of opening the chamber. To learn the truth, they had decided to brew an extremely difficult potion called the polyjuice potion.

The polyjuice potion allowed the drinker to take on the exact physical appearance of another human being. The catch was that it only lasted an hour, and if the person got one step wrong, they could be left permanently disfigured, or dead.

Dumbledore had decided to allow them to infiltrate the Slytherin common room. It would be good practice for the future. Of course, if they got caught, Dumbledore would have to punish them.

Because the potion was so dangerous, Dumbledore had secretly aided the two students in brewing it. Brian and Ron had no idea who was helping them, but they were grateful none the less.

The infiltration had gone off without a hitch. Brian and Ron had been able to sneak into the Slytherin common room and back out without anyone being the wiser. Unfortunately, it appeared that Draco Malfoy was not opening the chamber of secrets, and had no idea who was doing it. He did say that he would help whoever opened the chamber if he knew who it was.

Dumbledore had obtained all this information from Brian and Ron's minds. He was disturbed at what young Draco had said, but he was still hopeful that the misguided boy could be redeemed.

It was true that the Malfoy scion harbored a hatred for the muggleborns in the school, no doubt encouraged by his Father. Dumbledore knew at this point, the boy would have happily killed all muggleborns, not realizing what he'd done.

However, the boy was an average wizard. He did not have the knowledge or the skill to open the chamber. It was a pity that he didn't know who was doing it, but Dumbledore knew that they would find them. They had to. They couldn't lose the muggleborns, they needed that new blood. Over the next few months, several more muggleborns were petrified. Dumbledore had begun to feel nervous. He couldn't hide this from the ministry too much longer.

Then, at the beginning of June, things finally came to a head. Lucius Malfoy, the Father of Draco, and one of the schools governors, had obtained all the governors signatures to have Dumbledore removed from the school.

Dumbledore had planned for this eventuality. Lucius Malfoy wasn't exactly subtle. Dumbledore had known that the pureblood might try and have him removed. Lucius didn't understand that the muggleborns were needed to bring new blood to the wizarding world. No doubt he hoped that by removing Dumbledore the creature in the chamber would kill all the muggleborns.

Rubius Hagrid, the groundskeeper had been arrested as well, but he'd made a very cryptic remark as he was being led out.

"If anyone would like to know what is causing these attacks,' he'd said, "My advice would be to follow the spiders."

Brian and Ron had been hiding in his cabin at the time, and had taken his advice. By doing so, they had almost been eaten by a colony of giant spiders that lived in the forest. However, they did learn something extremely useful.

The last time the chamber had been opened a young third year girl had died. She had died in a bathroom.

On the surface, this seemed like useless information, but it didn't take Brian and Ron long to discover that there was a girls bathroom where not many people went.

This bathroom was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. It was haunted by a ghost named Myrtle. She was extremely sensitive about being a ghost, and had a tendency to flood her bathroom when she became upset.

Brian and Ron had gone to talk to her, and the lonely ghost had been only too happy to tell the two boys how she died. While they were in the bathroom, the two boys had noticed a snake carved into one of the taps on a sink.

Brian and Ron had done the sensible thing. They had gone to Gilderoy Lockhart to get his help, but the defense teacher had been preparing to leave the school. It turned out that he was a fraud who had used memory charms to steal the accomplishments of others.

Brian and Ron had forced the teacher to accompany them to moaning Myrtle's bathroom. That was when the details had gotten a little confusing.

Dumbledore had no idea how the three had gotten into the chamber, but the two boys had rescued Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister from the chamber, and it was discovered that Ginny was the one who had been possessed by an enchanted diary. Under the diaries influence, she had opened the chamber and petrified the muggleborns.

There had been an uproar. Dumbledore had been reinstated as headmaster of Hogwarts. He'd had to use all of his considerable skill and power in the wizarding courts to ensure that Ginny was not expelled and that Arthur Weasley kept his job at the ministry.

The Weasley family's reaction to what had happened to Ginny was unexpected. Her family had been horrified at what she'd done. They had begun to shun her, regardless of the fact it wasn't her fault.

Dumbledore watched this happen sadly. It was regrettable, but he didn't make it a habit of getting involved in family affairs. Young Ginny would just have to cope with her families rejection on her own.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore was brought back to the present by a sleepy trill from his phoenix, Fawkes. Dumbledore looked up at his familiar and smiled.

The phoenix was about the size of a swan with red and gold plumage. It's amber eyes stared down at Dumbledore reproachfully.

Dumbledore saw the look and frowned.

"It has to be this way Fawkes," he said quietly his good mood vanishing. "I don't like doing these things, but it is for the greater good."

Fawkes stared back at him silently. His eyes seemed to say, 'Who are you trying to convince old man, me or you?'

Dumbledore looked away and stood up placing the parchment he'd been looking at in a drawer.

"I'm sorry you feel the way you do, Fawkes," he said sadly. "I would have thought that you would have understood the greater good, but it appears that you to are blind to the truth. Some day you will see that I am right, and on that day, I will forgive you for your lack of trust in me"

HPC

The island was tiny, only about a mile long and a mile wide. There was no grass or any vegetation growing on the island. The uneven rocky ground was covered in grey powdery sand.

An ice cold wind blue constantly stirring the sand into miniature sandstorms, making it impossible to see. The sun never shown on this island, a sullen red glow lit up the sky during the day. This light only lasted for about three hours each day before fading.

The nights were even worse. No stars shown in the sky. The moon was not visible. There was only complete and utter darkness.

The building rose from the island like a single tooth in a diseased gum.

It was made from black rock. tiny slits served as windows. A nail studded door made from a large slab of oak cut the building off from the outside world.

This building was a prison. It was called Azkaban. It was the primary prison for all of wizarding Britain. Most wizards never wanted to step foot in Azkaban. It's very name was spoken of with fear and loathing, and for good reason.

Inside the prison, there was a long hallway that sloped down into the earth. Iron grates ran down both sides of the hallway. Screams and moans came from behind the grates. The hallway was filled with horrors.

Tall skeletal creatures prowled the halls. Long rattling breaths came from under the hoods that covered their heads. When one of these creatures passed the grates the screams and moans intensified. Sometimes, the creature would pause outside one of the grates and take long deep breaths. At these times, the screams and moans would rise into shrieks and howls of terror. Only then would the creature turn and walk away.

These creatures were called dementors. They guarded Azkaban, and they were the reason that most people feared the prison.

Dementors were creatures with the ability to draw the happiness out of a person just by also altered the environment just by being there, dropping the temperature low enough to freeze water. However, this was not the main reason the dementors were feared.

The main reason they were feared was much worse. They possessed the unnatural ability to suck the soul out of a person, leaving them an empty husk. No one knew what happened to the souls the dementors consumed, but people assumed it wasn't good. There was one person who did not fear the dementors.

Peter Pettigrew sat in his cell in the deepest part of the prison. He stared at the iron grait that cut him off from the rest of the world. His expression was serene, almost relaxed. Slowly, he looked around his small cell.

The cell was small, only about the size of a large bathroom. A small wooden cot covered with a ragged blanket ran the length of the back wall of the cell. It was the only furniture in the cell. It served as bed, chair and table,

There was no toilet. Peter was forced to use the bathroom in the corners of his cell like an animal.

A large rusty bucket of water sat next to the iron grate. The bucket of water served as bathing water and drinking water. The warden of Azkaban didn't care if the prisoners were sick or not.

Now, Peter stood up and stretched feeling every joint pop. He walked over to his cot and sat down. It was almost time. He had been waiting for the right moment to escape.

"Master," Peter whispered. "I'm coming to find you."

Peter didn't know how he knew, but he was sure that his master needed his help. He would not let him down again. After all, it was his fault that his master had fallen. He had been the one who led his master to the Potters. He had to make it right. He had to make sure his master returned. It was the only way for him to make up for his mistake.

He would restore his master, and he would make sure that his fellow death eaters paid for abandoning his master.

Peter lay back on his cot and relaxed. He concentrated on his magic. His body began to change.

Brown grubby fur sprouted all over Peter's body. He twisted and shrunk. Within moments, Peter Pettigrew was gone, and a rat was in his place. The rat jumped off the bed and landed neatly on the floor.

The rat scampered across the floor and crouched by the grate and waited. An unknown amount of time later, Peter felt the temperature of the cell drop. He saw the water in the bucket freeze solid.

'_They are coming,_' he thought. Slowly, the grate slid open with a rumbling sound. Peter crouched as close to the floor as possible and ran out of his cell into the hallway. The rat scampered down the hallway and around a corner. He had to find a way out of here.

He saw a door up ahead. Crouching as low as possible, Peter started to slip through the crack between the door and the floor. He suddenly paused. He needed a wand before he left. His master would need his help, and he wouldn't be much help without a wand.

Scampering over into a corner, he considered his options. There were no wizarding guards at the prison, so there was no avenue to obtain a wand there, but there was another option. However, he would have to escape the prison first, and he would need to be very careful.

Peter slowly slipped through the door and crouched in the shadow of the prison. He waited patiently. It would be a while before his opportunity to escape and obtain a wand presented itself. As he waited, he considered the circumstances that had brought him to this point.

Voldemort had been right. There was no good and evil. There was only power and those too weak to seek it. Good and evil were just terms that the weak used to justify their own unwillingness to do what needed to be done to obtain true power. Well, Peter refused to be weak any longer. He would seek power, and he would do whatever he had to do to keep it.

For the first few years in Azkaban, Peter had been thoroughly depressed. His master had been destroyed. There was no hope for him to escape Azkaban. What was the purpose of his life now if he couldn't serve his master? Then two years ago, at the beginning of June, everything had changed.

Peter's dark mark had brightened suddenly, and then dimmed again. If he hadn't been looking at the mark at that exact moment, he would've missed it. He knew exactly what the sudden brightening of the mark meant. His master was alive. That meant he had a purpose, but how could he help his master while he was in Azkaban? He couldn't. He would have to escape and go to his master.

For the next two years, Peter had waited. He had gathered his strength and prepared to make his escape, and now he had done it. He'd escaped Azkaban, but he wasn't home free yet. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, he heard something moving through the water towards the island. Peter moved out of the shadows. It was time.

A small wooden boat bumped to a stop and two burly men climbed out. They began unloading heavy wooden crates from the boat.

HPC

John and Bill Cranston levitated the crates down onto the island. Bill shivered and turned to his brother.

"You couldn't pay me enough to work here," he said conversationally.

John grunted and levitated the last crate to the ground. "Yeah," he said sounding as if he really wasn't paying attention. "Luckily for us, we don't have to worry about that."

Bill nodded and climbed back aboard the boat followed by his brother.

"I could do with a pint when we get back to the mainland."

John perked up. "Yeah, remember, it's your turn to buy I bought last time."

The two men began to argue goodnaturedly about whose turn it was to buy the drinks, unaware that they would not be making it back to the mainland.

_**HPC**_

Peter watched as the two wizards unloaded the crates of supplies for Azkaban, and then started to head back to the boat. Quickly, Peter scampered from his hiding place, and climbed aboard the boat, just before one of the men pushed away from the island.

Crouching in a dark corner, Peter considered how he would get one of their wands. He was half-starved,. Malnourished, and weak. He knew that he would have no chance of taking the men in a fair fight. Luckily, Peter had no intention of fighting fair.

Keeping low, Peter crept closer to the men. One of the men's wand stuck out of their pocket slightly. That one would be his but how should he get it?

John was chatting about the girls at the pub they were going to that night when he felt a tug on his robes. He looked down and saw a rat tug his wand from his pocket.

"Oy," he called, making a grab for his wand. The rat dodged the grab easily.

Bill turned to see what his brother was shouting about, and froze. A short dirty man wearing ragged robes had appeared in the boat. He reached for his wand, but the newcomer had pointed John's wand at him.

"Imperio," Peter said. The man's eyes instantly glazed over. "Stun him, and obliviate him of the last few minutes," he commanded.

John started to say something, but everything went black. Peter kept the wand pointed at Bill.

"Keep sailing," Peter commanded. "When you get to the mainland, you will forget that I was here. You will believe that your friends wand fell out of his pocket into the ocean, is that understood?"

The man nodded. He continued guiding the boat towards the mainland.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne stared into the crystal blue water, frowning. She watched as Peter snuck aboard a boat headed for the mainland. She watched as he disembarked from the boat several minutes later and vanished into the sewers. This was troubling. She felt someone sit down beside her.

"It's almost time isn't it?"

Vivienne turned to see a teenager staring at her. His black hair fell just short of his shoulders and his emerald green eyes glinted in the light. Vivienne nodded at his question.

"Yes, Harry," she said gently. "You have about a year before you have to return."

"How are we going to play this? I can't just show up out of the blue."

Vivienne smiled bitterly. "Events are already conspiring to force your return. Unfortunately, you won't have a choice the way things are playing out."

Harry frowned at his Mother. "What do you mean? Are you saying that even if I wanted to stay here, I wouldn't have a choice but to return to the wizarding world?"

Vivienne nodded. "Exactly."

"That sucks," Harry grunted. "So we don't have any choice?"

"Oh, we have choices," Vivienne said dryly, just not any good choices." She stood up, pulling Harry with her. "Come on, let's go see Puck."

Harry nodded, and followed his Mother out of the room. He hoped he'd be ready to do what needed to be done when the time came.

_**HPC**_

Voldemort sensed the magic coming in his direction. There was something familiar about this magic.

He examined the magic closer. Yes, there was no doubt about it. It was one of his followers. Now that he was looking for it, he could clearly see his mark branded into the very magic of the person.

'_At last,' he thought. 'One of my followers has come for me. _


	7. Seven Chapter 7

_**Seven**_

Peter knelt beside the cauldron, watching the bubbling green liquid closely. This had to be just right. If he got one step wrong, it would spell disaster for his master. He could feel the impatient spirit flittering about nearby.

"Hurry Peter," Voldemort whispered. "There isn't much time. I can't stay outside of a host for long."

A bead of sweat ran into Peter's eye causing it to sting. He wasn't a great wizard, not even a competent one. What made him think that he could be the one to restore his master to a corporeal form? Why did he have to be the one to perform this task?

He sighed internally. He knew the answer to those questions. He was the only one who'd come to his masters aid. He was all his master had. There was no one else. _'No pressure, right,'_ he thought bitterly. 'If I fail 'it just means the end of the purpose of my life.'

Slowly Peter poured the silvery unicorn blood into the cauldron. He then dropped in a human skeleton. The acid green liquid in the cauldron turned a poisonous black.

"It is ready my master," he said kneeling before the cauldron.

"Step back," Voldemort hissed. Peter did so hurriedly and watched as the red smoke that made up Voldemort's spirit disappeared into the potion.

For a moment, everything was silent, even the wind ceased blowing through the trees. It was as if nature itself was holding its breath, waiting to see if the most terrible dark wizard in a century would return. Steam billowed from the cauldron. Red and green sparks shot several feet into the air. A massive explosion shook the clearing. The ground around the cauldron was turned to glass. A plume of black flame turned the air above the cauldron into a roiling inferno. . The cauldron cracked under the extreme heat. Peter watched horrified as the flames obscured the other side of the clearing from his view. What had he done? Had he killed his master?

Slowly, the heat began to diminish, leaving a thick mist hanging in the air. Peter hesitantly approached the cauldron. He raised his wand and waved it, clearing the mist away. He saw movement amongst the shattered stone. Peter brushed the stone aside, and gasped.

A creature stared up at him. It looked vaguely human, but that only made it more horrible to look upon. The thing had a flat snake-like face. Two stubby horns grew from its forehead. Its eyes were a glowing red, like tiny flames. Its thin spindly arms ended in flat hands with long boney fingers ending in raiser sharp claws that looked as if they could cut through solid steel. Its feet were flat with only three toes. Each toe was tipped with a talon that looked just as sharp as the claws on the creature's hands.

The creature moved feebly. It pushed itself into a sitting position and looked up at Peter helplessly.

"Master," Peter whispered. "Is that you?"

The creature smiled revealing needle sharp teeth. "Yes, Peter," it hissed. "It is I. You have done well. This body will do until I can be returned to my full strength. However, I will need your help for a while longer. I am very weak at the moment. It will take time for me to regain enough strength to restore myself to a stronger body."

Peter nodded vigorously. "You can count on me, master,' he nearly sobbed. "I will not fail you."

Voldemort smiled. He knew he'd been right to recruit Peter Pettigrew. The man might not be much of a wizard, but he was loyal to a fault. Sometimes fanaticism was better than any magic. He just had to keep Peter on his side. Torturing him would do no good. It would be better to use kindness and understanding to keep Peter with him. If possible, he would make Peter love him. He would make Peter feel as though Voldemort was the only one who truly cared for him, but that would take time."

"You have done well, Peter," Voldemort hissed. "You have earned a place of honor in my service. When I am restored to full power: You will be rewarded."

Peter felt his chest swell with pride. Voldemort was proud of him. He couldn't remember the last time someone was proud of him.

"Thank you, Master," he gushed. "I will not fail you."

"Peter," Voldemort chided gently. "Failure is not a sin. Do not make promises you will be unable to keep. You will fail because it is human nature to fail. The key is to learn from our failure, so that we don't make the same mistakes again. Do you understand?"

Peter nodded frantically, looking like a child who has just been told he has just won a life time supply of candy. "Yes, My Lord," he whispered reverently. "Your wisdom is only outmatched by your magical prowess."

Voldemort laughed inwardly. Yes, this was working out perfectly. A few months and Peter would be his devoted slave, obeying any command he gave him.

_**HPC**_

Severus Snape had been the potions master at Hogwarts for thirteen years. In that time, he had been in the service of Albus Dumbledore. It was true that he'd started Dumbledore's service to spy in case his master should return, but his master was gone. He had been forced to stay in this mediocre position. He could not leave to find another position. No one wanted to hire a former servant of Voldemort. To make his position more precarious, he could not even make any under the table deals, lest Dumbledore become suspicious, and send him to Azkaban. Over the years, he had accepted the fact that he was on shaky ground. His only solace was tormenting the Gryffindors, tormenting the house for the sins of those who had tormented him when he'd been a student, but he may soon have other things to occupy his time. The pain he just felt in his left arm might be the signal of a change in the near future.

He rolled back the sleeve of his robes, and stared down at the skull with a snake protruding from its mouth burned into his flesh. Was it his imagination, or was the mark clearer, more distinct than it had been since Voldemort had been in power.

He examined it closer. Yes, there was no doubt about it. The mark was clearer, and the edges looked slightly black. The mark only turned black when Voldemort summoned his followers, but it also burned continuously until the person responded to the summons. He had merely felt a sudden sharp pain in the mark. What could this mean?

He knew that his master had tried to return two years ago, and had been thwarted. His mark had not reacted to his presence at all. Could the marks reactivation mean that The Dark Lord had a body again? A cold chill went down Snape's spine.

Who had helped him, and why? More importantly, what was he going to do if Voldemort had returned? Was his position in Voldemort's inner circle compromised?

Could he return to his master without Voldemort killing him? If Voldemort had truly returned it would be wise to go to him immediately, but that was impossible. The ministry was watching him very closely. He could not risk being sent to Azkaban. He wouldn't be able to help anyone from there. Not to mention, his current employer would know if he went back to his old ways, and he had no idea where Voldemort was at the moment. Snape scowled. His employer would probably be the easiest to manipulate. After all, he wanted to believe the best of people, and that would be his downfall.

He would bide his time for now. He needed to know for sure if his master had returned before revealing himself. He would not risk his life for someone that might have been dead for over a decade.

**HPC**

**Lily sat up in bed, and nearly vomited. The pain in her head was unbearable. What was happening to her? She stumbled out of bed, and barely made it to the bathroom before her dinner made an encore appearance. When she was done, she laid her head against the cool porcelain. Her dream came to the forefront of her mind. **

**She remembered blood and fire, screams, and the smell of death. Why was she remembering these things? She had never been in a battle like the one in her dream. She slowly stood up and walked into the kitchen. Pouring herself a glass of water, she sat down at the table. She dropped her head into her hands. A slight sob racked her body. Where was her son? **

**She hadn't thought of Harry in years, but the pain of his loss was still as fresh as the day he had been taken. She frowned. Why hadn't she thought of him for so long? She was his Mother. It wasn't natural. She should've been searching for him every day, not sitting at home doing nothing. She finished her water and placed the glass in the sink. She would think about this in the morning. It was time that she brought her son home again. **

**HPC**

Voldemort leaned back in his chair exhausted. Traveling so far in such a short time had taken a toll on this fragile body. He watched Peter stoking the fire. It had been so long since he'd felt the heat of a fire.

"Thank you, Peter," he said gratefully. Peter sat down in front of him and began feeding him gruel.

Voldemort hated this mess. It was a mixture of corn meal and snake venom. It was the only thing his stomach could handle at the moment. As he took another mouthful of the disgusting paste, he considered his position. It was true this stuff was disgusting, but at least it was food.

"The caretaker on the grounds will be here soon," Voldemort stated after a while.

Peter frowned. "What would you have me do, master?"

Voldemort stared off into space thoughtfully. "We can't kill him. It might cause suspicion, and considering that the old man's cottage is on the ground, we can't risk an investigation by the muggle authorities. It might be best to cast the imperius curse on him and tell him to go about his business as normal. Being a muggle, he will not be able to fight the spell.

Peter nodded. "Would you like me to cast the spell?"

"Yes, in my current condition, I am not strong enough to maintain the spell for long periods.

Peter nodded, and headed for the door. "I'll do what you say, master."

_**HPC**_

Ginny Weasley flopped onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow, trying to muffle her sobs. Why did her family hate her so much? She hadn't meant to hurt anyone. She'd just wanted a friend. Had that been so wrong?

Tom Riddle had seemed so nice at first. He acted like he actually cared about her. She had told him everything. She'd told him about her family, about her brothers ignoring her, and how excited she was to be starting classes. Tom had listened. He had given her advice, and been her friend, or so she thought. Everything changed on Halloween.

The last thing she'd remembered about October 31, 1992 was heading to the Halloween feast, and then nothing. She'd woken up the next morning in damp clothes, covered in paint. She had been worried, but that worry had turned to panic when she'd heard about the caretaker's cat being petrified. She'd wondered who could have done this. Could they do it to people? She'd taken her concerns to Tom, but Tom had not seemed concerned. He'd told her that no Hogwarts student could perform such dark magic, and she shouldn't worry.

'_They'll soon catch them,'_ he'd said. _'Just stay with your fellow students, alright?"_

Ginny had agreed. Tom was right. Just because she didn't remember the night before didn't mean she'd cursed the cat.

Over the next several months, Ginny had several more blank spots in her memory. Her messages to Tom had become more frantic. She'd begged him to help her.

"**I don't know what to do,'** she'd written. **'I think I'm losing my mind.'**

Tom had seemed sympathetic. He'd told her not to worry. He'd encouraged her, saying that she was not losing her mind, and for a little longer, she'd believed him.

At the end of the year, Tom had revealed his true colors. Ginny remembered entering the Chamber of Secrets. She remembered Tom rising from the diary, like a devil rising from the pit, and then everything had gone black.

She'd awoken to her families screaming.

"How could you," her Mother had asked her. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Your actions could cause your Father to lose his job."

Ginny had tried to explain. She'd tried to tell them that she didn't know that Tom was a dark wizard. It was then that they'd told her who she'd been talking to.

She'd been horrified to learn she'd been talking to Voldemort. She'd tried to say sorry, but no one was listening. She had decided to wait, maybe things would die down.

They hadn't. The last two years had been hell. Her family had shunned her completely. They mainly ignored her, leaving her to her own devices. She'd been left to buy her books with her pocket money, and to take the scraps of food once her family was done eating.

She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her time at Hogwarts hadn't been any better. Her own house had ignored her, viewing her as a shame on the noble house of Gryffindor. She had no friends to help her. That was what she wanted the most. She just wanted one person that cared about her. _'Who knows,'_ she thought. _'Maybe this year will be different.'_

_**HPC**_

Harry watched the redhead through Vivienne's viewing pool. It had been a little over two years since he'd seen her. He could not comprehend what her family was doing to her. Why would any family do that to one of their own. He heard the tap of shoes on the floor. He felt Vivienne drop a hand on his shoulder.

"Why would they do that, Mother? Why would they abandon one of their own?

Vivienne shrugged. "They are afraid, son," she said gently. "They do not truly understand what was done to their daughter. If they did, they'd probably put her in a plastic bubble for the rest of her life. Possession is akin to rape. It is a violation of the worst kind. It is a violation of the soul. She needs understanding, not hatred and disappointment.

Harry's eyes were wide. "What can we do for her?"

Vivienne touched his head tenderly. "We can't do anything for her from here, but you will be going to Hogwarts soon. Maybe you can befriend her."

There was silence for a few moments. Finally, Harry looked up at Vivienne. "Alright, I'll try."

Vivienne smiled widely. "Good, just be careful, alright. Don't let anyone know that you are one of us. The fae are far more powerful than wizards."

Harry nodded in agreement. He leaned back against Vivienne. "When do I go back?"

"September."

"The first?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yes, it will need to be the first. I want you to stay there for the entire year. You remember what will happen in October?"

Harry nodded. "You are sure it will happen?"

Vivienne nodded. "I have seen it," she shrugged. "You will do fine. You have been trained well."

Harry nodded a troubled expression on his face. "I don't know if I can do this. What if I mess up?"

Vivienne took his chin between her fingers. "You can do this," she said firmly. "I believe in you."

Harry nodded, looking unconvinced. Regardless of what his Mother said, he was only fourteen. How could he be expected to do what no other fae had done before him? He stood up straight. He may fail, but he would do what he could. He would rescue the scions of the fae and return them to Avalon if they wanted to return.

HPC

Later, Harry stood looking out at the rolling waves. What would he do if he saw Lord Voldemort. It had only been a few months since he'd defeated him for the third time. His mind went back to two years ago, when he had fought Voldemort while the evil spirit possessed the defense against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne and Harry crouched in the shadows watching as Brian struggled against Quirrell.

"We have to do something," Harry whispered urgently. "He cannot hold out much longer.

Vivienne gripped his shoulder hard. "No," she hissed. "We must wait. It isn't time yet."

As they watched, Quirrell struck Brian in the head, knocking him out cold. As he looked down at the unconscious boy, his face changed.

His eyes became red. His skin turned bone white. Every bone in his skull was revealed as the skin pulled tight.

"Time to end this arrogant little brat," he snarled in a strange hissing voice.

"Now we can move," Vivienne said and stepped out of the shadows.

The red eyes widened as they landed on her.

"You!" he hissed.

"Me," Vivienne murmured. "How have you been, Voldemort. You are certainly looking very… yourself."

"Look what you have done to me," Voldemort snarled. "You have destroyed my body. I can only enjoy the pleasures of life by possessing a willing vessel."

"A fitting punishment," Vivienne stated casually. Now do you see that death would be better than this pitiful excuse of a life you cling to?"

"Nothing is worse than death," Voldemort shrieked. "Death means oblivion. I will not subject myself to that."

"You still don't understand,' Vivienne said sadly. "Take him, Harry," she said softly.

Harry stepped out of the shadows, and snapped his fingers. Chains of ice appeared out of thin air and wrapped around Voldemort.

"What magic is this," Voldemort hissed fearfully.

"You are not anywhere near your full strength," Vivienne said. "We can't destroy you, but we can banish you."

"If you banish me, this host will die."

"He will die anyway," Vivienne said coldly. "The moment he allowed you to possess him, he sealed his own fate."

"I'm ready, Mother," Harry murmured as he finished drawing a circle around Voldemort.

Vivienne stepped back and began to chant.. " You who reside in mortal host, be gone now thy wicked ghost."

Voldemort sneered. "What was that supposed to…" He froze as the strange spell began to take effect.

Strands of golden light plunged into the body's eyes, nose, and mouth. Voldemort screamed as he was jerked out of the body.

Vivienne watched in satisfaction as the body crumbled to dust. The red smoke materialized in the air before them. She turned to Harry.

"Do you want to try and banish him?"

Harry looked at his Mother, his eyes wide.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Harry shrugged. "Evil spirit that has been such a fool, I banish you now from this school."

There was a deafening how. A violent wind blew through the room. The shade of Voldemort screamed as he was caught in the wind and carried out of the room.

Vivienne put am arm around Harry. "Not bad," she said smiling.

"Thanks Mum," Harry nudged Brian gently. "What do we do with him?"

No sooner had the question been spoken, Vivienne heard footsteps. Vivienne's arm tightened around Harry's shoulders.

"Let's go," she said hurriedly. They vanished from the hidden room, leaving a pile of ash and an unconscious boy behind.

_**HPC**_

Harry sighed as he leaned back on the beach. He felt rather than heard Vivienne sit down beside him. He turned to her, and smiled.

"I never did thank you for helping me protect my brother."

Vivienne shrugged. "I aided in his conception. That makes me partially responsible for him by our laws."

"What about second year? I thought a basilisk's stare was deadly to us as well as mortals."

Same reason. Brian was in danger. I was honor bound to protect him.

_**HPC**_

Harry dodged the basilisk's lashing tail. He could see Vivienne off to the side, struggling to avoid the basilisk's gaze. He could hear the dark revenant laughing.

"You cannot stop me,' Tom laughed. "Soon, I will have absorbed enough energy from the little girl to return to a body."

Vivienne pulled a sword of ice from thin air. She drove the sword into the basilisk's eye. The creature shrieked in agony. It thrashed and struggled.

"No!" Tom roared in fear and rage. "What have you done?"

"Killed your snake," Vivienne chirped cheerfully.

"You will pay for this!" Tom growled. "I will rip the flesh from your bones and drink the blood from your cold dead corpses."

"No you won't," Harry said calmly.

Harry carefully pulled a foot long fang from the basilisk's mouth. Vivienne gently took the diary from Ginny's unconscious form.

"You can't!" Tom screamed. "You do not dare to do this."

"Want to bet?" Harry asked. "I don't know what enchantments are on this book, but I don't think they can stand up to basilisk venom.

Without another word, Harry drove the fang into the diary. Scarlet ink and blood spurted from the diary. Tom screamed as his body shimmered and faded from sight.

Harry dropped the fang and hurried to the girl lying on the floor. As he approached, he heard her grown.

"Harry," Vivienne called. "We've got to go now."

"But Mom," Harry began.

"Now!" Vivienne commanded. She snapped her fingers and Ginny vanished. "She's in the bathroom above us. She'll be safe there."

Reluctantly, Harry followed his Mother out of the chamber.

_**HPC**_

Harry looked at his Mother.

"How was Brian in danger? He wasn't even in the chamber."

Vivienne's lips twitched. "The danger was in the school, not the chamber. If Tom had managed to possess Ginny's body, he could have killed every student in the school, including your brother.

Harry nodded accepting the explanation. "I'll try to keep an eye on him while I'm at Hogwarts."

Vivienne nodded. "Good, now come on, let's go prepare for your trip."

_HPC_

Albus stretched out in his bed. He was satisfied. Things had gone exactly as he'd intended. The tournament was set up. This would be the perfect test for Brian. Tonight, he would sleep with a satisfied mind. As he drifted off, he could see images of himself being proclaimed the one who had trained the savior. He would do what was necessary for the greater good, even if that meant sacrificing Brian Potter.

HPC

Voldemort looked at Peter. It had been over a month since he'd been returned to his body. He was a little stronger now, and with this returned strength, came clarity of mind. The information that Peter had given him was very useful.

"You are sure that this tournament will take place?"

Peter nodded. "Yes, master, it is to start on October 31st."

Voldemort's needle teeth flashed in a quick grin. "Good," he hissed. "You know what you need to do?" At Peter's nod, Voldemort leaned back in his chair. "Then let it begin."

Peter bowed low. "As you wish, my master."

Voldemort watched Peter stretch out in front of the fire. For the first time since his return to a body he allowed himself to remember his humiliating defeat.

The golden green eyes had haunted his mind for years, and the way the child had thrown his own magic back at him. There was only one race he'd ever heard of that could literally hold magical energy in their bare hands, but why would the fae be interfering in the wizarding world? More importantly, what was a fae doing in a pureblood wizarding home? Voldemort stroked his chin with one long finger. What was he going to do with this information? Could this knowledge aid him in returning stronger than before?

_**HPC**_

Lily sat at the table again, her head aching. She could remember the feel of blood soaked soil, the groans of the wounded, and the screeches of the buzzards. She blinked as the memory faded.

She wished she could talk to Vivienne. Why was she having these memories? What were they? Had Vivienne formed some kind of connection between them. Was she seeing some of Vivienne's memories, or were these her memories. Was she remembering a past life?

_**HPC**_

James rolled over in bed. The potion wasn't working as well as it used to. What had gone wrong? Had Lily begun to build up immunity. He needed to do something, but what? He couldn't give her anymore potion. She was dangerously close to an overdose as it was.

He would have to find a spell to keep her under control. Surely the Potter library would have something to help. it was for the good of the Potter family. Brian needed more attention. He deserved a good life. After all, he had defeated the worst dark wizard in history. If that wasn't the definition of a hero, James didn't know what was.

A/N: Would you all prefer spells in Latin or rhymes? Also, do any of you know the difference in Fae and fey?


	8. EightChapter 8

_**Eight**_

September the first dawned clear and cool. The sun rose painting the sea the color of freshly cut sapphires. The sky was a forget me not blue. The chilly wind blew the sand across the beach creating tiny sandstorms. Gulls flew and wheeled overhead, screaming their mournful cry to the Heavens, as if begging forgiveness for some terrible sin. Harry stood on the beach, where he'd stood many times before in contemplation. He stared at the water unseeing. He took a deep breath. He could smell the salty tang of the sea. He would miss the ocean the most. He would miss swimming in the cool waters and quiet days of fishing.

The last nine years had been wonderful. His time being raised by Vivienne had shown him just how bad his first five years had been. He was eternally grateful that Vivienne had come to get him on his birthday all those years ago. However, his time on Avalon had not been all fun and games.

Vivienne had wanted him trained as the heir to the throne of Avalon, despite the fact that one had to be at least half-fae before they could rule. Regardless, Vivienne had trained him in magic herself, and she had not been gentle. He shuddered as he remembered her throwing stones the size of his head at him until he learned to shield. He'd healed a lot of bruises and cuts during those weeks. In addition to shielding, she had also taught him transmutation, (what the wizards called transfiguration,) and conjuration. She did warn him that objects conjured from pure magic did not last as long as those that had been transmuted.

All in all, he'd had a good life, and he was nervous about returning to a world that had ignored him, and treated him as if he didn't exist.

"Nervous?" Vivienne asked, walking up and kissing his cheek.

Harry shrugged. "A bit, I can't help but feel woefully unprepared for this."

Vivienne chuckled. "You'll do fine. Will you be traveling the lines to Hogwarts?"

The lines Vivienne referred to were ley lines. These were rich veins of magical energy that crisscrossed the fae and Mortal realms.

The fae had the ability to tap these lines for extra energy any time they wanted. They could also travel these lines from one realm to another. It was not as easy as, and was far more dangerous than, wizarding apparition, but it was more versatile, being able to bypass any ward and enchantment crafted by wizards.

Harry nodded. "The lines will be faster than that blasted train they have, but if I travel the lines I'll make quite an entrance."

"Just remember not to go directly into Hogwarts. You don't want to reveal the full extent of your power to Dumbledore, and traveling a line into the sorting would definitely do that." Vivienne smiled. "If you use the lines you don't have to leave until this evening."

"That's true, so what do we do now?"

"We enjoy this quiet time," Vivienne murmured. "Something tells me that the next few months are going to be… interesting."

_**HPC**_

Harry stood in the usual Hogwarts uniform. The uniform consisted of black robes, a pointed hat, and a long black cloak. He picked up a stick of roan, and with quick flicks of his fingers, transmuted the stick into an exact duplicate of a wizard's wand. He put the fake wand in his pocket and turned to Vivienne.

"I think this can pass for a wand, don't you?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yeah, as long as no one looks too close. Since it came from Avalon, it is imbued with magic. It should fool most people Just be careful, son," she cautioned. "Dumbledore probably knows that you have been here. He'll be suspicious why you have returned. Do not meet with him alone. Try not to meet with him at all, if you can."

Harry listened quietly. When Vivienne was done, he hugged her. "I'll see you in around a month, then."

Vivienne wiped a tear away, and watched as Harry centered himself. She felt the tingle in the air as he began to draw power from the nearest ley line. She leaned forward, ready to help if things started to go wrong. She needn't have worried. Harry's form began to become hazy and indistinct. There was a pop and Harry Vanished, air rushing in to fill the void where he had been. She felt his magic merge with that of the ley line, before disappearing all together.

"Good luck, son," Vivienne said quietly.

_**HPC**_

Harry felt as if his body had been stripped away from him. He was just a consciousness floating in raging energy. He concentrated on his destination, keeping it firmly in mind. He felt the energy ripple around his awareness. There was a slight pop, and he was standing in the cool evening air. Slowly, he pulled his awareness away from the ley line, and looked around.

The village he was in looked as if it had come from a nineteenth century painting. There was no electricity, only gas lamps lit up the night. All the shops were small wooden buildings. There was no glowing neon, just a simple handmade sign outside each shop giving the name of the shop and detailing what could be found inside.

Most of the houses were small cottages with thatch roves. He only saw a few that were more than one story high. Slowly, he turned in all directions until he saw the castle in the distance. With the old fashioned houses and shops in the background, the castle looked even more impressive. Harry stared at it for several moments.

It was big that was for sure; standing at least seven stories high with many turrets and towers adorning it. He could also see ornamental griffins and gargoyles on the roof. He supposed that these were extra guards in case the castle was ever attacked.

Squaring his shoulders, Harry began to walk towards the castle. His stomach growled. He was looking forward to eating some dinner.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore stared at the sea of impatient faces waiting for the sorting ceremony to be over. He smiled remembering his own days as a student here. He listened as Minerva called out the last name on the scroll and rolled it up. Dumbledore stood.

"I have only two words to say to you," he began.

'Boom!'

The doors to the great hall of Hogwarts flew open so hard they slammed back against the wall and rebounded. Dumbledore spun to the doors, drawing his wand as he moved.

A teenager stood in the doorway. Slowly, the stranger stepped inside the hall and allowed the doors to swing shut behind him.

I apologize for my lateness," he said in a strange accent that Dumbledore didn't recognize. "I had to walk up here from the village."

Dumbledore stared at the boy. He was tall, with shoulder length black hair. He had high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and his eyes were a familiar emerald green.

"Who are you?" Dumbledore said, although he had a feeling he already knew.

The boy smiled his green eyes twinkling. "I am Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Potter.

The hall erupted in mutters.

"Impossible," Brian Potter shouted rising to his feet. "My brother is dead. He was taken by his Godmother years ago. She probably sacrificed him in some sort of dark ritual"

Harry stared at his brother in silence. "I don't care whether you believe me or not. I am your brother, Harry James Potter, and I would appreciate it if you did not speak such slander against my godmother. Nevertheless, to lay all doubts to rest," he drew a long stick of roan from his robes. "I swear that I am Harry Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Potter."

There was a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, Harry stood there as calm and collected as ever. He flicked his wand, and a goblet on the head table became a gigantic spider. A redheaded boy at the Gryffindor table nearly fell off his chair at the sight. With another flick, Harry turned the spider back into a goblet.

Dumbledore's eyes widened. He'd never expected to see this boy again. "Harry?" he whispered. "We thought you were lost forever."

"I was never lost," Harry said almost gently. "I've been safe for all these years with my godmother."

Dumbledore stared at the boy. He didn't want to reveal anything about the fae in front of the students, but he had questions he needed answered. "Why did you not come to Hogwarts for your first year? Why come now?"

"My godmother wanted to home school me, but she decided last year that I needed to be around children my own age. Professor McGonagall received my letter my godmother sent last year?"

The aforementioned professor jumped. She fumbled in her robes and drew her wand. With a flick, a single roll of parchment appeared in her hand. She glanced down at it, and then turned to Dumbledore with a sheepish expression.

"It says here that he will be attending the fourth year classes," she said handing the letter to Dumbledore. "I don't know why I didn't tell you about this," she said confusedly.

"It was a mild memory charm," Harry piped up. "It was designed so that you would forget about the letter once you had filed it."

Dumbledore frowned. "Why would you cast such a thing on a letter?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't, my godmother did. She wanted to ensure that my coming to Hogwarts was a surprise. She didn't want to give any reporters a chance to prepare for my arrival. Now, may I be sorted please?"

Dumbledore blinked. "What," He began, "Oh! Yes, of course." He pointed to the stool with the old ragged hat sitting on it. "Just put on the hat," he said distractedly.

Harry nodded and sat on the stool. He pulled the hat onto his head. It immediately dropped down over his eyes. He heard a low voice in his ear.

"Ah! I never thought to see one of you again."

'_You have seen my kind in this school? Is there a difference in wizards that have been raised by the fae?' _

"Yes, but it has been a while. So, you believe you are a mere wizard? Well, that is fine for now. Tell me, what are you doing here?"

'_My godmother sent me here because she believes something bad will happen at Hogwarts this year. She thinks it will be worse than the previous years.' _

Harry felt the hat give the mental equivalent of a frown. "You are aware of the event taking place at Hogwarts this year?"

'_Yes, that is the reason I am here.' _

"Alright then," the hat said dismissively.

'_Wait what!' _Harry thought incredulously. _'That's it. You are not going to give me any words of wisdom, or tell me that you must inform the headmaster?' _

The hat snorted. "It is not my responsibility to be the Headmaster's spy. It is my responsibility to place students where they will do best, and to do my best to keep Hogwarts safe and secure. Now where di I put you? Do you have any preference?"

'_No, just sort me please, I'm starving.' _

The hat chuckled. "Very well.' It began to mutter to itself. "You are brave there is no doubt about that, and you are cunning, but you are not ambitious, so Slytherin is out. You are loyal, but only to those who have gained your trust. No, no, Hufflepuff just won't do. I think I know just where to put you, just try not to kill some of your housemates."

Before Harry could ask what the hat meant, it had shouted its decision.

"Gryffindor!"

Harry took the hat off and placed it back on the stool. He began to walk towards the Gryffindor table, who were clapping politely. It was clear they didn't know what to make of the newest member of their house. Harry saw the redhead he'd seen in his Mother's viewing pool. She was sitting alone at the end of the table as far from her housemates as she could get.

"Can I sit here?" Harry asked stopping beside her.

Ginny jumped at the voice and stared up at the new boy. Had she heard wrong? "Pardon?"

Harry smiled at her. "May I sit here?" he repeated.

Ginny blinked at him. "S-sure," she said slowly.

Harry sat down beside her and stared at his empty plate. He turned to the head table as he heard Dumbledore clear his throat.

"I just have two words to say to you all," Dumbledore began, "Tuck in."

Immediately, the platters in front of them filled with food. Harry helped himself, and began to eat.

Once the edge had been taken off his hunger, Harry turned to the girl sitting beside of him.

"What is your name?"

Ginny looked up from her plate. "Ginny Weasley," she said quietly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Harry said extending his hand.

Ginny slowly took it. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Why are you talking to her," a loud voice said from behind Harry. At the voice, Ginny dropped his hand as it had burned her. She shrank down in her chair until Harry could only see the top of her head. He slowly turned to see who had spoken.

His brother stood behind him. He stared at his lost twin with a hostile expression, not unlike a dog who has noticed another dog in its territory and is trying to warn that dog off. "Excuse me?"

Brian scowled at him. "Why are you talking to a dark witch like her?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What makes you believe she is a dark witch?"

"She cursed some muggleborns two years ago. If it hadn't been for circumstances that I cannot discuss they would have died."

Harry stared at Brian, a disbelieving expression on his face. "Are you pulling my leg? No first year student would have the power to perform that kind of dark magic."

"You don't understand," Brian snapped. "She's dark, I tell you. She'll kill you in your sleep and steal your magic."

Harry laughed. "She couldn't steel another wizards magic. It is not possible." Harry's eyes turned cold. "Go away, Brian until you have something interesting to say."

Brian's face turned red. "You'll see, brother," he hissed. "Don't come crying to me when you are missing your magic and half of your internal organs. Turning on his heal, Brian stalked off with his nose in the air.

Ginny turned to stare at the boy who had just defended her. "You didn't have to do that," she said quietly. "You probably shouldn't have, anyway. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, and I thank you, but you'll get labeled as an outcast if you aren't careful."

Harry smiled at the redhead. "I'm not worried. People that would judge someone on something that wasn't their fault aren't the type of people I'd want to be friends with anyway."

Before Ginny could answer, Dumbledore stood up, tapping his goblet for silence. Once the hall had quieted, Dumbledore began to make the announcements for the year. Harry allowed the words to wash over him, not really listening, until a particular sentence caught his attention.

"It is my painful duty to inform you that the house Quidditch cup will not be taking place this year."

There was an immediate uproar. Students were shouting questions, demanding to know why. Harry was unconcerned about the house quidditch cup. He didn't really care for the sport. What he wanted to know was why it had been canceled. Had his godmother been right? Was the event taking place this year as she had seen? He found out a few moments later as Dumbledore shouted to make himself heard over the den.

"This is because of a tournament that will be taking place this year. It is called the Tri-wizard Tournament."

The chatter in the hall immediately turned from indignant anger to curiosity and excitement. Harry felt is attention beginning to wander and he did nothing to stop it. He already knew of the tournament from Vivienne.

The tri-wizard tournament was a turning between the three magical schools of Europe. The tournament champions were selected by an ancient and powerful magical artifact, The Goblet of Fire. The goblet selected three champions from those foolhardy enough to put their name inside it. There were three tasks. The champion that finished the last task with the most points won the tournament.

Harry began listening again as he heard Dumbledore announce the prize for this tournament.

"The winner of this tournament will get a thousand galleons of prize money, and will be crowned the Tri-wizard champion." At the murmuring Dumbledore continued. "However, there will be an age line for this tournament. No one under the age of seventeen will be allowed to enter." "This," he said loudly to be heard over the angry shouts, "is to protect those who may not be prepared for tasks that will be extremely difficult and dangerous. I therefore urge you to consider carefully before placing your name in the goblet, because once your name comes out of the goblet, you must compete. And now, I think it's time that you all go to bed. Off you go, chop chop."

There was a deafening scrape of chairs. Harry stood up as well. He felt a slight tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Ginny looking at him.

"I can help you find the Gryffindor tower if you like," she said hesitantly.

Harry smiled at her. "That would be great," he said.

Ginny led him out of the hall, neither noticing that they were being watched.

_**HPC**_

Albus Dumbledore watched the Potter boy and the youngest Weasley leave the hall. He smiled to himself. It appeared that the boy had already made a friend. Good, that may make him easier to control in the future. Now, what was he going to do? James and Lily needed to be informed, of course. He could not hide the return of their son even if he wanted to, but he was concerned.

There was no doubt that Harry had been with Vivienne all these years, so why had he returned. The fae knew much more powerful and diverse magic than wizards. In a sense, the fae were magic. Why would Vivienne send Harry back into the wizarding world knowing that his parents might try and retrieve him? She had a plan, of that Dumbledore was sure. What was her plan? He would need to figure it out before her actions harmed his plan.

Dumbledore stood. He would inform Lily tomorrow. It would do no good to do so tonight. Harry was on his way to bed, and Dumbledore was not going to disturb him to meet the Mother he'd run away from. It would be far better to leave that meeting for early in the morning. However, he would need to inform James of this development. It was far better if they planned how to deal with this together. After all, James had a reputation as a pureblood noble and lord of a light family to consider.

_**HPC**_

James stared into the fireplace in shock. He slowly sank into a chair.

"You are joking," he whispered so as not to wake Lily.

"No," Dumbledore said solemnly. "He arrived at Hogwarts only a few hours ago. He was sorted into Gryffindor. I thought best if you and Lily were to come here in the morning and talk to him."

"Albus," James hissed. "What will this mean for the potion? The only reason Lily started ignoring Harry in the first place was because of that potion, and we had to give her dangerous amounts to even accomplish that much. With Harry back, there is no way we can keep giving her the potion."

"You are right. We will have to stop and come up with a better plan. If we up the dosage we could kill her and we can't have that. Such an event could severely damage your reputation, but we can discuss that later. Just make sure to be here at nine sharp tomorrow morning."

"What about the students? Won't they contact their parents?"

Dumbledore shook his head a small smile on his face. "No, I have stopped all owl post until after tomorrow." He smiled slightly. "It is just one of the perks of being headmaster."

James ended the flu call with Dumbledore and slipped into bed beside Lily. What was he going to do now?

It had seemed so necessary all those years ago. Brian needed the attention. Therefore Harry would have to be pushed aside. They could always spend time with him later, but Brian would have to fight Voldemort. He needed all the love and support they could give him. James hadn't any idea that Harry would be taken by his godmother, but when it had happened he'd breathed an inner sigh of relief. Now they could dedicate all their time to Brian. Things were as they should be.

He hadn't expected Lily to admit she'd made a deal with the fae in order for them to have a child, but he hadn't really minded. After all, Vivienne had come to Lily, and she had helped them have a child. So what if she'd taken one of them as payment. As a rule the fae didn't kill the children, so James couldn't understand what Lily was so worried about.

She was worried though. She had searched for Harry unceasingly until he and Dumbledore had given her that potion. After that, things had been wonderful. Lily had been a devoted wife and Mother for all these years, but now all his and Dumbledore's plans were coming down around their ears. Why had Harry returned? What could he gain from Hogwarts that he couldn't gain from being with Vivienne?

James rolled over on his back and tried to decide how he was going to tell Lily that their missing son had been returned to them. It might be best if he left it as a surprise. Yes, that would be just the thing. He would simply tell Lily that Dumbledore wanted to see them. She wouldn't be angry with him once she had Harry back.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne stared into her viewing pool. Things were moving far faster than she'd anticipated. She hadn't expected Dumbledore to contact James so quickly. Harry would not be able to avoid going to the headmaster's office. There would need to be a change of plans. She needed to contact Harry immediately and there was only one way to do that.

_**HPC**_

Harry found himself back on the beach of Avalon. He blinked in the sudden sunlight. Was he that homesick already? He stepped towards the ocean, feeling the sand shift beneath his feet. He took a deep breath. He could smell the salty tang of the sea. _"This is one realistic dream,'_ he thought.

"Harry," Vivienne's voice came from behind him. "We need to talk."

Harry turned to see Vivienne sitting in a wicker chair behind him. She gestured to a chair beside her. Harry sat down, feeling a little confused.

"Mum, what am I doing here? I assume that this isn't a dream?"

Vivienne shook her head. "No, it is not. I have the ability to enter a person's dream if I so choose. Usually I do not exercise the power because it is an invasion of privacy, but this is important."

"What has happened?"

"Dumbledore has contacted James and informed him of your arrival at Hogwarts.

"What! I thought he wouldn't do that for a few days at least."

"As did I, but he is making a plan with James, and you must be ready for whatever happens."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Do not look Dumbledore in the eye," Vivienne said firmly. "Your mental shields are excellent, but I'm not sure how well they would hold up against Dumbledore's assault. Secondly, do not except any candy from him. He has laced his candies with a calming potion, compulsion potion, and a mild truth potion."

Harry nodded. "Is there anything else?"

Vivienne shook her head, sighing. "I wish I could be there with you, but alas, I cannot. I will check with you tomorrow night to see how things went. If need, I will come to Hogwarts early."

Harry reached out and hugged Vivienne. "Thanks Mum," he said his voice muffled in her shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Vivienne hugged him back for several seconds before gently disentangling herself. "You don't have to thank me," she said wiping a tear from her eye. "Always remember, I love you, son."

_**HPC**_

Harry awoke with those words ringing in his ears. He could hear his dorm mates getting out of bed and preparing for the day. It was time to face the music. For the first time in almost ten years, Harry was going to see his birth parents again.

_**HPC**_

Harry had just entered the great hall when he was approached by Dumbledore.

"Mr. Potter, please come to my office after breakfast." Before Harry could answer, Dumbledore had turned and gone back to the head table.

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table and stared at the food before him. The bacon, eggs, and fried tomatoes looked delicious, but he didn't have any appetite. He was too nervous. Could the Potters take him from Vivienne? He shuddered at the thought. He hoped not. He couldn't imagine never seeing the only one who had been a Mother to him since he was two.

"Are you alright," a tentative voice said beside him?

Harry jumped and turned to see Ginny. "Yeah, I have to meet with the Headmaster after breakfast, that's all.

Ginny patted his arm in commiseration before helping herself to some eggs. "If you need to talk after the meeting," she began. "I'll be happy to listen."

Harry shrugged. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Breakfast seemed to drag on for hours. Harry managed to eat a few strips of bacon and a fried egg, but he couldn't choke anymore down than that. When the students started heading to class: Harry new he couldn't put it off any longer. Slowly, he got to his feet and seeing Dumbledore just leaving, he followed him silently. Ginny gave him an encouraging smile as he left.

_**HPC**_

Lily shifted in the chair and glanced at James.

"Do you want to tell me why we are here?"

James scowled. "You'll see," he said stiffly. "Dumbledore has something he wants to show us."

Lily stood up and began to pace. She didn't like this. Something was wrong. Why had James brought her here and not told her why? Why was he so uptight? She heard footsteps approaching and turned to face the door. Finally, she would get some answers. The door slowly began to open. Lily's eyes widened. Tears spilled down her face.

Standing in the doorway, was Dumbledore. A tall teenager with black hair and emerald green eyes stood behind him.

Lily gasped and clapped a hand to her heart. It was as if her thoughts had been covered in a thick fog, and that fog had suddenly been burned away by the light of the sun. She took a hesitant step forward.

"Harry," she whispered her voice quavering, "Is that you?"


	9. NineChapter 9

_**Nine**_

Harry stared at his Mother. The tears that ran down her face tore at his heart, but he felt a terrible coldness rising up inside him. It took a moment for him to realize what this coldness was. It was rage, a terrible fury that burned all the pity in his heart away.

She had abandoned him. She had chosen his brother over him. He remembered the times she'd tucked him in when he was a toddler. He remembered how those times had begun to grow farther and farther apart. He could remember the loneliness, wondering what he had done wrong. He couldn't just forgive that. He saw his Father step forward, a forced smile upon his face.

"Harry," James said jovially. "How have you been, son."

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "Why am I here?"

Dumbledore scratched his beard, his eyes twinkling. "I thought you would like to reconnect with your parents."

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

Harry snorted. "What are you deaf? I said 'why?' Why now? It has been nine years, and you are just now trying to make us be a family again? What's wrong, your golden boy not turning out the way you wanted?

"Vivienne took you to Avalon," Lily whispered, "We could not get to you."

"Right," Harry said shortly. "The ministry had books that could summon fae and you never thought to use them? After all, you worked for the unspeakables. You cannot tell me that you couldn't have used them without the ministry knowing?"

Lily could not hide a wince. "I did search for you. I tried to find you for months. I couldn't risk using the books. If the ministry caught me I'd have been executed and then I'd have never found you."

"You searched for me for months? I was gone for nine years and you only looked for months?" Harry laughed hollowly. "I guess I know how important I am to you, don't I Mother?"

Lily stared at her lost child. She could not think of a response. She still didn't understand why she had ceased looking for him. She took a step forward, reaching out imploringly, but Harry stepped back, out of her reach.

"Stay back," he hissed. "I have a Mother who loves me. She took care of me, spent time with me, and tucked me in at night." His eyes blazed. "You stopped doing those things years ago. Why? Was I not important enough to be loved?"

"Brian needed more attention," James tried to intervene. "He stopped Voldemort and may have to do so again. Surely, you would not begrudge your brother a little more love and affection."

Harry scowled at James. "So that means that you have to ignore me? That means that I get no attention at all? Is that what you're telling me?"

James threw his hands up in frustration. "Why do you have to be so selfish? Your brother could die. Does that mean nothing to you? Your brother has been fighting a war, and you are whining because we didn't spend time with you?"

Harry stepped towards the door. "On that note, we have nothing more to say to each other. If I am whining, then I assume you will not want to listen to it any longer."

"Wait!" Lily shouted. "I know we ignored you. There is no excuse for that. I cannot speak for James, but I truly regret my lack of attention towards you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Harry turned from the door. "I think we could be friendly, but I don't think I could trust you as a Mother again." He paused. "Not right now, anyway."

Before James or Lily could respond, Harry had slipped out the door, letting it swing shut behind him.

Dumbledore stared at James. "Did you have to accuse him of being selfish? He had every right to be angry at the lack of attention he received while he was living with you."

"He is not taking his brothers situation in to account," James snapped. "He is being selfish. If we give him attention, that is time we could be spending training Brian."

"He's not being selfish," Lily shrieked. "We ignored him completely. There is no excuse for that."

James sighed. He turned to Dumbledore. "What do we do now?"

"Give him some time," Dumbledore rubbed his eyes tiredly. "He will come around soon enough. After all, he hasn't seen you in almost a decade. He can't stay angry at you forever."

James turned to the door. "I need to go and see how Brian is taking all of this. He is probably a little confused."

Dumbledore watched James leave the office, Lily trailing silently behind him. He looked up at his phoenix familiar.

"What will I do now, Fawkes? All my plans are coming apart."

The phoenix rustled his feathers and turned its back on him.

"I will forgive you when you see the error of your ways, my friend," Dumbledore murmured turning back to his desk.

Dumbledore picked a piece of parchment up and began to read. He would think of something. He was Albus Dumbledore, and he always had a plan. He just needed to figure out what Vivienne's plan was. He feared it was time to break out the forbidden books.

These books described the culture of the fae, more specifically the elves. In addition, the books also had spells and wards that could defend a person from the fae, and even bind them to your will. Dumbledore knew that owning these books would mean a death sentence of the ministry ever found out, but it was for the greater good.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne stood invisible in the corner of Dumbledore's office. Quietly, she slipped through the wall and into Dumbledore's quarters. She walked over to a shelf at the back of Dumbledore's bedroom. She could feel the wards protecting the books trying to push her back. She had to be careful. If she disturbed the wards, Dumbledore would know immediately.

She leaned so close her nose almost touch the books. She could smell the rot and corruption of dark magic. The smell was like spoiled meat soaking in rotting fish guts.

These were the books, alright, created with the help of demons during the Great War. She shuddered. She needed to destroy them. If Dumbledore used the spells contained in these books he would be able to control her.

She reached out, trying to touch the books. A flash of light and a spark made her draw her hand back. If she'd tried to remove the books, the wards would have been triggered.

"Figures,' she muttered, of course as a fae she wouldn't be able to touch the books. Luckily for her, she had a contingency plan.

"Puck! I have need of you."

There was a moment of silence and then a soft rustle of air. The trickster of the fae appeared right next to Vivienne, grinning manically.

"Yes, my queen," he said jovially. "I have arrived. Puck is here to fulfill all of your desires," He winked at her. "Yes, I do mean all of your desires."

Vivienne eyed the tall fae grinning at her. "You're not my type," She said dryly.

"Oh come on! I can change into a woman would that make it better?"

"I do not like women in that way."

"I can do shape shifting. I like shape shifting. Would you prefer Rustle Crow?"

"What! No!" Vivienne exclaimed. "Is everything with you sexual?" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Never mind, I need your help. Do you know how to get rid of these?"

Puck stepped close to the shelf and gently removed one of the books. Vivienne sighed in relief as the wards did not activate. She watched as he began flipping pages, his eyes widening with each passage he read.

"This is a binding spell," He said horrified. "Where are we, some dark wizards library?"

Vivienne gestured and a bubble of light shimmered into existence surrounding them, cutting them off from the outside world. "This is Albus Dumbledore's private collection. I don't think I need to tell you what he could do with these books?"

Puck shook his head scratching the space between the two horns on his forehead. "What made you think I could touch the books?"

"You have mortal blood in you. I hoped it would be enough to allow you to bypass the protections on the books."

Puck nodded. "That would do it," he said pulling the rest of the books off the shelf and shrinking them with a thought. He tucked the books away somewhere about his person. "Where do you want them stored?"

"A volcano, or some equally destructive place. I want those books completely and utterly destroyed."

Puck nodded seriously. "It shall be done. Do you need anything else?"

Vivienne shook her head. Impulsively, she reached out and hugged Puck. As she pulled away, she kissed his cheek. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Puck shuffled his feet, blushing. "It's what I'm here for. Say hi to Harry for me, would you?"

Vivienne nodded. "We'll do, come over for dinner if you like."

Puck raised an eyebrow. "Only dinner?"

"Just get out of here," Vivienne said laughing.

Puck saluted and vanished, taking the books with him.

Vivienne sighed when she saw the books disappear. That was one problem taken care of. There was a chance that Dumbledore had other copies, but she didn't have time to search for them. She had other things she needed to do.

Taking one last look around the room, Vivienne vanished.

_**HPC**_

Harry dropped into a seat next to Ginny at the Gryffindor table.

"How was your morning?" Ginny asked quietly.

Harry shrugged, taking a bite of chicken. "Not bad, a little different than what I'm used to, but not bad."

"Different how?"

"My godmother never wanted me to use verbal magic. She said relying on words could get you in trouble. I've been learning nonverbal spells since I was a kid."

"Seriously?" Ginny's eyes were wide. "You have been performing spells without an incantation since you were a kid? How old were you when your godmother started training you like that?"

"Six or so, I don't really remember."

Ginny stared at him and smiled. "That sounds so cool. Can you teach me to use magic without an incantation?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "Just name a time and place for us to train."

Ginny nodded happily and the two of them sat chatting for the rest of lunch.

_**HPC**_

Lily watched Harry from the corner of the great hall. He looked so happy and carefree, so different from the way he'd acted in Dumbledore's office. Why had she abandoned him all those years ago? More importantly, how was she going to make it up to him. She was going to be there for him, whether he wanted her to or not. Her mind made up, Lily turned and left the great hall. It was time to have a talk with Vivienne.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne watched Lily leave the hall. She knew what was coming next. She sighed. Maybe she should visit her before Lily summoned her. It wouldn't hurt to talk to her. She waved a hand, clearing the images from her viewing pool.

_**HPC**_

Lily stalked into a deserted classroom and closed the door firmly behind her. She pointed a finger at the door and smiled when the lock clicked. She pulled a piece of chalk from her cloak and began to draw a circle in the middle of the stone floor.

"There will be no need for that, Lily," a voice said from behind her. "I am here. What do you want to talk about?"

Lily turned to see Vivienne standing behind her, her arms folded beneath her breasts. Her reddish golden hair fell to her shoulders, held away from her face with a silver band. Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "I'm waiting," she said her voice sharp and cold.

"You haven't changed at all," Lily whispered in amazement.

Vivienne snorted. " Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

Lily winced. "No, of course not." She shifted from foot to foot. "I just wanted to talk to you about my son."

"You mean my son," Vivienne said coldly.

"I gave birth to him. I fed and took care of him. He is my son and he always will be."

"Funny that," Vivienne snarled. "I've been taking care of him for the past nine years. You haven't been there for him. Hell, you didn't even look for him."

Lily started to argue, but then she paused. "I don't know why I didn't look for him. It was like I completely forgot about him. You're right, I haven't been the Mother I should've been, but I want to change that. I want a chance to make up for my mistakes.

Vivienne frowned. That didn't sound natural. She stepped closer to Lily and examined her closely. There was something off. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was a putrid smell, like rotting grapes surrounding her. She wrinkled her nose at the psychic stench.

"Something is not right,' Vivienne said quietly. She waved a hand over Lily and glowing lines of script appeared in the air. "Hold still,' she told her.

Lily did so. What was Vivienne doing? She watched Vivienne's expression harden. She clicked her fingers and the glowing script faded. She stepped forward and drew Lily into an embrace, hugging her tight.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I am so sorry."

"What did you find out?" Lily whispered. "What is wrong with me?"

Vivienne sighed. "You have been under several potions and enchantments. They were designed to make you forget about Harry and concentrate on Brian."

Rage filled Lily. A hot fire that burned away every other emotion. "Who did this?" She snarled. "Who took away my free will?"

Vivienne frowned. "I don't know," She said quietly. The magic is too old and too tangled up to tell who the culprits were."

"Culprits? As in more than one?" Lily was horrified. Who would've done such a thing? A horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. "Could James have done this? Was he responsible for her ignoring her son and making him run away?

"_No,'_ She thought. _'James may be arrogant and self-centered, but he would never take away my free will.'_

"Is there any way you can remove the magic and potions controlling my emotions, and prevent this from happening again? How do we tell Harry about this?"

Vivienne shook her head. "I cannot tell who cast the spells, but I will remove the spells and potions in your system. I will also put wards in place that will prevent this from happening again."

Lily frowned. "Will anyone be able to detect your magic? I don't feel like getting executed for treason."

Vivienne snorted. "Our magic is a lot more subtle than you would think. No wizard will be able to tell that there are any wards in place."

Lily didn't have to think. "Do it," she said without hesitation.

Vivienne gently placed a hand on Lily's forehead. She felt a slight warmth where Vivienne's hand was. The warmth grew, spreading throughout her entire body.

Vivienne felt a slight jerk as she cast her spell, as if her magic had been anchored in something, but that was impossible. Only elven magic could anchor elven wards. She'd been planning to power the wards protecting Lily, but it appeared that would not be necessary. Slowly, Vivienne withdrew her hand.

"It is done," she said quietly, "No spell or potion will be able to affect your free will from now on."

Lily sighed in relief. "Thank you, Vivienne," She whispered gratefully. "I owe you one."

Vivienne shook her head. "You owe me nothing. Now get out of here before Dumbledore finds us. I'll try and think of a way to explain things to Harry. I'll contact you when I think of something."

Lily nodded again. "Thank you," she said before leaving the room.

Vivienne gestured and a comfortable armchair appeared beside her. She sank into it and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do? Things were not at all like she had thought.

Guilt gnawed at her insides. She had been so hard on Lily. She had taken her son from her, and not examined her for external influence. Why hadn't she considered the possibility that Lily might have been manipulated to ignore her child. The important question was what to tell Harry. He had gone all these years believing his Mother didn't care about him. How was she going to explain that it hadn't been Lily's fault she ignored him.

Also, there was something else. Vivienne recognized the magical signature she had sensed inside her, but she needed to check the archives to be sure.

Vivienne stood up, and snapped her fingers again, causing her chair to vanish. She could think about this later. She needed to figure out why Lily's magic had anchored her ward. There had been something familiar about that magic, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She would return to Avalon and think. She had a month before she needed to be back here. She should be able to think of something within that time.

_**HPC**_

Fawkes sat on his perch staring out the window. He was a phoenix, an immortal bird of fire. He was reborn every few years, his aging body renewed and made young again. In spite of this, he felt old. How could he have allied himself with such a manipulative man as Albus Dumbledore?

It had all seemed so perfect all those years ago. Dumbledore had seemed so noble, wanting to better the wizarding world. Fawkes had believed that the young man merely desired to bring his fellow wizards into a new age of prosperity. It was for this reason that he had bonded with the young man, extending his lifespan and aiding him in whatever task the wizard could not complete alone, but things had slowly begun to change.

Dumbledore had begun to associate with a dark wizard called Gellert Grindelwald. Fawkes had feared that Dumbledore would slip into darkness, but he hadn't. No, the death of his sister had destroyed any chance that Dumbledore would ally himself with Gellert. Fawkes had breathed a sigh of relief, believing that all dangers to his friends morals were in the past. Alas, that had not been the case.

Over the past twenty years Fawkes had watched as Dumbledore grew less and less empathetic towards others, viewing them as tools to be used and discarded when they had outlived their usefulness. He had felt his bond with the wizard fading as Dumbledore fell further and further from the light. He tried to warn him, tried to tell him that he was making the wrong choices, but Dumbledore wasn't listening.

Now, here he was. The bond with Dumbledore was gone. He had no reason to stay here any longer, and yet he remained. Why? why had he not returned to his brethren. He had almost left several times, but something always stopped him. He could not shake the feeling that he was still needed here, but what could he be needed for? His magic dealt with fire and rebirth. What purpose could such magic serve here? He would wait until the end of this year. If his purpose did not reveal itself, he would return to his homeland.

HPC

Vivienne sat down heavily. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't felt this happy in centuries. She was too excited to sit. She stood and began pacing her quarters.

Lily's magic matched a signature she recognized. It was a signature she hadn't sensed in over a thousand years, but what could this mean. Her sister had vanished long ago. She needed to do research. Her sister had been part of the seelie court when she had vanished. Maybe it was time for her to pay them a visit. She wanted some answers, and she was going to get them, no matter what. She would learn what happened to her sister, Morgana Le Fay.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ten**_

Vivienne stepped through the doorway of glowing mist and into the Seelie court. She sighed in relief. She didn't know if she would be accepted here or not. Avalon had not been associated with either the Seelie or Unseelie Court in a very long time.

She turned and watched as the mist faded away. She shivered. The only way she would be allowed out of the court now would be if the queen let her out. She thought of Harry, but pushed that thought aside ruthlessly. This needed to be done. She had to know what happened to her sister and why Lily shared Morgana's magical signature. Steeling her nerve, she strode purposefully forward. She had not gone a dozen steps before an old man appeared, blocking her path.

"Vivienne," He rumbled. "How are you, my girl?"

"Jack!" She squealed and dove at the old man, hugging him fiercely.

The old man chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. The sound vibrated all the way down to Vivienne's toes. His muscular arms wrapped around Vivienne's slighter frame, hugging her so tight she felt light-headed. He lifted her up and spun her through the air. Finally, He sat her back on her feet, and she pulled away from him and looked at him closely.

He was of medium height. His long white hair was short, and combed flat to his head. His eyes were as blue as the winter sky, but they twinkled as he looked at her.

A small neat beard, just as white as his hair, covered his chin. His smile revealed crooked teeth as white as bone.

"What brings you here?" He asked staring into Vivienne's eyes. His voice rumbled like mountains grinding together. "Is something wrong with your godson?"

Vivienne frowned. How did they know about Harry? She had never told them about him. She would ask about that later.

"No," Vivienne said quickly. "Nothing is wrong with Harry, but it does involve him"

"Oh?" Jack asked.

"I'm actually here about my sister. She disappeared about a thousand years ago, right?"

Jack nodded hesitantly.

"That's right," he said slowly. It was eleven hundred years ago to be exact. Has something happened? Has she made contact with you?"

"No, and that is what I'm here about. Do you know what happened to her? All I know is that she was here, but then she disappeared, and no one has seen her since"

Jack scratched his beard. "Morgana," He rumbled thoughtfully. "It has been several years since I've thought of her. She was a good woman. I can understand her anger with Arthur. After all, she did watch as Uther seduced her Mother, and she was helpless to warn her."

"Yes," Vivienne said quietly. "I remember."

_**HPC**_

Morgana Le Fay had been given to Duke Gorlois, of Cornwall over fifteen hundred years ago. There biological daughter had been taken and raised as Vivienne's sister, Nimue.

This was not an uncommon practice in those days. The magically weaker elves were given to mortals, and the sickly mortal children were taken back to Elphame. This was done so the weaker elves would not be killed by rivals in one of the three courts. After time in Elphame, the mortal children were altered. They became part fae, but because of the wild magic of Avalon, it was impossible to predict how the magic would change them. They were married to the nobility to strengthen the fae bloodlines.

These stunted fae on the other hand, usually grew up, found the wizarding world, and bread with the wizarding population. This increased the magic in wizarding bloodlines by revitalizing their fae blood; however, sometimes the elven healers were wrong about the magical abilities of the elven children. This was the case with Morgana.

From all accounts, she had been a loving child. She had adored her adoptive Father, spending as much time as possible with him. The duke was just as fond of her. All this changed when Uther laid eyes on Lady Igraine.

From all Vivienne had been able to discover, Uther had been a greedy impetuous man. Once he'd seen Igraine, He just had to have her. He cared not that the lady was married and loyal to her husband. He was a king, and her husband was a lowly Duke. He would have her no matter what.

To seduce the lady, Uther knew he would have to be cunning, so he went to the powerful magician Merlin for help. Merlin agreed to help him, but under the condition that he would be allowed to take the child and raise him as he saw fit. Uther, blinded by lust, agreed.

Contrary to popular belief, Merlin was not the son of a demon. He was the son of an elven noble and a mortal woman. He had inherited powerful magic and immortality from his Father. He cast a powerful glamour on Uther, making him resemble Duke Gorlois. He hadn't counted on Morgana.

By this time, Morgana was in her early teens. From what she had told Vivienne later, she had realized that she was different. She could light fires with a thought, make objects float, and see glimpses into the future. She had feared that she was possessed by the devil, but she didn't know what to do. If she told anyone, she would surely be burnt at the stake as a witch, so she kept her silence. She resolved to keep her supernatural abilities a secret.

Her resolve was tested when she received a vision of her Father dying in a terrible battle, and another man lying with her Mother. She did not know what to do.

If she went to her Father, he would not believe her. He may in fact believe she was a witch and have her burnt alive. She hoped her vision was a dream, but after the vision occurred a second and third time, she feared it was a foreshadowing of events to come. She had resolved to wait and see what happened. If she even suspected her Father's life was endanger then she would warn him. This decision would haunt her for the rest of her life.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne was brought out of her thoughts by a cool hand on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked. "You looked distracted."

"Just thinking of what Morgana told me when we met for the first time. She gave me a memory of that night, you know?"

"No!" Jack exclaimed. "Was it as bad as I think it was?"

Vivienne swallowed. "It was worse," She choked. "She somehow incorporated her thoughts and feelings into the memory. I literally lived the memory as if I was her. I haven't looked at it in centuries."

Jack nodded. He didn't blame her. He slipped an arm around Vivienne's slim shoulders.

"Come," He said gently. "Let me take you to the queen. I'm sure she knows what happened to your sister."

Vivienne leaned against Jack. "Thank you," She said sniffing back tears. "I should have investigated her death more thoroughly."

"If memory serves, Argante said that she disappeared after a battle with the Unseelie court, correct?"

Vivienne nodded.

"And you had no reason to disbelieve her?"

Vivienne shook her head.

"Then you have no reason to blame yourself," Jack concluded.

Before Vivienne could protest, Jack had begun leading her deeper into the castle. As she followed Jack, she considered what he had said.

She didn't believe it. She knew there was something she could have done. Maybe by finding out what'd happened to Morgana she could finally get closure for her inaction all those centuries ago.

As she walked through the halls, Vivienne looked at the extravagance surrounding her.

The walls were white stone. Portraits of past royalty lined the halls. As she walked, Vivienne could have sworn that the eyes of the paintings were following her. She looked down at the floor to avoid those staring eyes.

The floor was polished marble. Every scene imaginable had been carved into the floor. They were scenes of love, hate, happiness, sorrow, and every emotion in between. The marble seemed to glow in the light of the hallway making the figures in the carvings appear to move. Vivienne could see herself reflected in it.

Finally, they reached a door of beaten brass. Intricate runes and sigils had been carved into the metal. As they approached, the door swung slowly open. A blinding light spilled from the room beyond. Vivienne and Jack both raised a hand to shield their eyes.

"Vivienne," A high musical voice said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of the queen of Avalon visiting my court?"

Vivienne shuddered. She reflected that if bells could speak than Argante's voice was how they would sound. She bowed before the throne, her head almost touching the floor.

"My queen," she said respectfully. "How have you been?"

Argante, queen of the Seelie court, chuckled low in her throat. Reaching out with one dainty hand, she lifted Vivienne's chin with a finger.

"My child," She said smiling widely revealing perfect white teeth. "You have no need to bow before me. I have never had a quarrel with you. You have always been welcome in this court. Now, tell me why you have come to me, for I know it wasn't just to visit."

Vivienne straightened and stepped back a pace. She looked the queen squarely in the eye before speaking.

"You are of course right, Queen Argante. Your beauty is only outmatched by your wisdom and perceptivity. I have come seeking knowledge. I wish to know what happened to my sister, Morgana Le Fay. I have heard that she vanished from this very court. I would like to know what happened to her in greater detail. Can you tell me of her disappearance?"

Argante was silent. Her long slim fingers gripped the arms of her throne so tight the knuckles turned white. Her sea green eyes were downcast. Finally she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

"Morgana was my friend. What I have to tell you is not pleasant, and I do not wish to open old wounds. Are you sure that you must know the truth?"

Vivienne thought of Lily. She thought of the years that the young woman had spent a virtual slave in her own body, her will and emotions controlled by another. She had to know the truth to help Lily even if it proved to be painful. She had to make it up to Lily for taking her child away from her.

"I am sure, My Queen," she said bowing low. "Please, tell me what you know."

Argante leaned back in her throne. She laced her hands before her and looked at Vivienne sorrowfully. She didn't know how to begin.'_I guess at the beginning is the best place.'_

"As you know," She said looking between Vivienne and Jack. "I have only ruled the Seelie court for about 1000 years. Before I ruled, Gwyn Ap Nudd controlled the court."

Vivienne flinched. She remembered Gwyn Ap Nudd. He was a cold calculating warrior, who cared nothing for his subject's wants or desires. He only cared for his own ambitions. His subjects were just servants, pawns to be used and then discarded when their usefulness had ended.

"What happened," She whispered staring at Argante in horror.

"Morgana had a daughter."

Vivienne blinked. What did that have to do with anything? "What? I don't remember her having a husband."

"She was married after she came to the Seelie court. It was a lovely wedding. He is a good man. He was new to the court himself and they just clicked.

He supported her idea of severing contact with mortals. It was not an issue of race or religion. Morgana simply wanted the mortals to be allowed to go their own way, and the fae to go theirs. They were gaining followers too, but you know how harsh the court can be. Morgana became pregnant. After the child was born, she and her husband feared that Gwyn Ap Nudd would use her daughter to control her.

"Who was her husband?"

"That would be me," A harsh voice said from behind her.

Vivienne turned and her eyes widened.

The man that stood behind her was massive. He was almost eight and a half feet tall. Coal black armor covered him from head to foot. His glowing eyes were the only thing that could be seen underneath a horned helmet. He raised one large scarred hand and gave Vivienne a wave.

"Your sister used to tell me about you. She was sorry about your argument."

"Erlking," Vivienne gasped. "You married my sister?"

The Erlking chuckled. "Who were you expecting her to marry, Puck?"

"He's on Avalon now."

The Erlking laughed heartily. "I pity you then. Been causing trouble, has he? Is that why you're here? I could end him if you'd like," He finished dropping his hand to an enormous sword in a scabbard strapped to his right leg.

Vivienne's eyes rested on the sword. Could it be? She had given the sword to her sister for safekeeping. Had Morgana given it to her husband? She shook her head.

"Puck is behaving at the moment. He's actually pretty helpful believe it or not."

The Erlking snorted. He took off his helmet, revealing a face that looked as if it had been chiseled from stone, and ran a hand through his silver hair.

"Puck and helpful are two words I never expected to here in the same sentence. What are you doing here, sister? Morgana is gone."

"There is a mortal by the name of Lily Evans Potter. She shares Morgana's magical signature. I came here for answers."

The Erlking raised one shoulder in a shrug. He shifted his glowing eyes away for a second. Vivienne thought she could see an old pain there.

"My daughter," He whispered almost to himself. "It cannot be. Morgana would have found a way to let me know had she succeeded."

"What happened," Vivienne asked. "Does your daughter have something to do with Lily?"

The Erlking gestured sharply with one hand stopping Vivienne's questions. He would not talk of this yet. He wanted to see her first, to make sure she was his daughter before he opened those old wounds again. He turned to Argante and bowed low before her.

"My queen," He growled. "I request permission to leave the court. I must see this Lily for myself. I must know if she is my daughter."

Vivienne's eyes widened. Had she taken her nephew away from her niece?

Argante drew her golden hair away from her face. She wished she could accompany them. This situation interested her greatly and it did get so boring in the court some times. Besides, she wanted to know how this story ended. She inclined her head slightly to the Erlking.

"Go, and if this Lily is your daughter, bring her before me. I wish to meet the girl that was taken from us so long ago."

"As you command, my queen," The Erlking said respectfully.

He turned to Vivienne, placing his helmet back upon his head.

"Come," He rumbled. He started to stride away before turning back to face her. "Where is this Lily?"

_**HPC**_

Several weeks had passed and Harry was settling into life at Hogwarts nicely. It was almost the end of October now, and Harry was looking forward to the Halloween feast. The schools that were participating in the tri-wizard tournament were due to arrive on the 30th of October, just three days away.

Harry had kept his promise and begun teaching Ginny how to use wandless magic, but it was slow going. Ginny was making progress, however. It was true that she wasn't making near the progress she would like, but the fact that she was able to do even the slightest bit of magic without a wand astounded Harry.

Most wizards did not possess the talent for wandless magic, needing some type of Foci to access their powers. Ginny was different. After only a few lessons, she could successfully light a candle just by pointing a finger at it. From this act, Harry realized that she had some fae blood in her. How much or how little he didn't know, but He was determined to mention it to Vivienne when he saw her.

Ginny, for her part, had helped Harry understand the theory of wizarding magic. Like Ginny's wandless magic, it was slow going. He had no patience for writing essays. Also, He had no basis on which to build his understanding, so Ginny had to explain the theory from scratch. Privately, Harry thought he'd never understand the theory of wizarding magic. He was broken out of his thoughts as Ginny sat down beside him.

"Are you looking forward to the tournament?"

"I don't know. It will be interesting to see more advanced forms of wizarding magic."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about? Don't you have some kind of hobby?"

Harry blushed and looked down at his feet self-consciously. "I never developed hobbies. Godmother wanted to make sure I was well trained and could defend myself should the need ever arise. Don't get me wrong, I had a great childhood. I played with Puck a lot, and he's just a big kid himself. I just never had a lot of spare time."

He felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her understanding gaze.

"You have time now. I'll take you all around Hogwarts. I'll show you how to have fun."

Harry smiled softly. He felt warmth rush through him. It was good to have a friend. "Thank you Ginny."

_**HPC**_

Harry shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around him. He hadn't felt a cold like this since He'd been on Avalon. He stood with the other students waiting for the other schools to arrive. He scowled as he heard Hermione Granger, one of Brian's friends, chattering about all she'd read concerning the tri-wizard tournament.

Turning his head, Harry looked back at the bushy haired girl, watching as she chattered to Brian and Ron.

"People have died in this competition, you know. I really don't know what the governors were thinking. This tournament sounds positively barbaric. Who would risk their lives for honor and glory, that's what I want to know?"

"I would," Brian said loudly. "Then again, I'm Brian Potter. I defeated Voldemort. After that, this tournament would be a piece of cake. It's just a pity I'm not of age. I could be the one to lead Hogwarts to victory," He finished dreamily.

Harry heard Ginny sigh beside him. He turned slightly to look at her.

"He's still so full of himself," She muttered. "As for Hermione, She means well, but she is more than a little overbearing. She doesn't have that many people skills, and hanging out with Brian and my brother hasn't helped her in that area."

"Neither my brother nor yours seem the type to listen to anyone they didn't want to, unless there was something in it for them."

"She helps them with their homework," Ginny grumbled, "She more or less does my brothers, to be honest. At least Brian will do his homework, even if he does turn it in late."

Before Harry could respond, there was an enormous flapping sound, like sheets rustling in a high wind. He looked up at the sky. Out of the corner of his eye, He could see Ginny doing the same.

Above the students, a powder blue carriage floated. It looked as big as a small castle. Harry had no doubt that it was even bigger on the inside. His eyes were drawn to the front of the carriage as it lowered to the ground beside the Black Lake.

Attached to the carriage were two enormous horses. Their hooves were the size of serving platters and dug deep trenches into the ground as the horses snorted and stamped.

"Wow!" Ginny exclaimed. "I've never seen pegasi that big."

Harry shook his head. "Me neither. Honestly, I've never seen any horse that big."

The opening of the carriage door stopped their conversation. A boy dressed in pale blue robes stepped out and hurriedly lowered a set of golden steps.

A shoe the size of a child's sled appeared. It was followed by a woman at least nine feet tall. Her hands were the size of trashcan lids, and her breasts looked large enough to be classified as weapons.

'_Giant blood,'_ Harry thought staring at her.

"Dumbledore," The woman said her booming voice ringing through the night air. "I hope I find you well?"

Harry noticed that where ever she came from, she spoke perfect English with no hint of an accent.

"My dear Madam Maxime," Dumbledore said bowing and kissing her hand, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I hope your journey was not difficult?"

Madam Maxime shook her massive head. "Not very. The horses are tired of course. Do you have anyone that would be capable of providing for them?"

"Yes, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to care for them."

Dumbledore turned to face the students and gestured at the teenagers emerging from the carriage.

"Allow me to introduce the students of Beauxbatons academy of magic, the premier magical school of France. He gestured at Maxime. "This is their head mistress, Madam Maxime."

There was a smattering of polite applause as Dumbledore turned back to Maxime.

"Would you like to wait for Igore or go into the castle and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up I think," Maxime rumbled beginning to usher her students towards the castle doors.

Dumbledore bowed. "Make yourself at home," He said grandly.

As the students passed, Harry felt a slight tingle of power brush his skin. His gaze sharpened. He reached out with his senses, trying to discover the source of this power.

His eyes locked on a tall beautiful girl with long silvery blond hair. _'Vela,'_ He thought in wander. He had not seem one ever before, but he recognized what she was immediately.

Vivienne had told him about the vela. They were a race of fae that had been native to Avalon. During the Great War between fae and wizards, almost all of the vela were enslaved with powerful dark magic. The pureblood wizards had wished to breed them out of extinction, but the vela had the last laugh.

What the wizards did not know was that vela bread true. There were no half vela. Every daughter born to vela was pure blooded vela. Eventually, the Seelie court had broken the spell on the vela and asked them to return to Elphame. However, the vela's numbers had grown significantly during their captivity and they had elected to stay behind and rebuild their race.

"Is there something I can help you with," a clear cultured voice said from right in front of him breaking him out of his thoughts.

Harry bowed slightly. "No, my apologies for staring."

The girl stared at him. Something wasn't right about this one. He was more than he appeared. She could feel power rolling off him like heat from an oven. She would have to watch him closely. A wizard this strong was unnatural. Without a word, she stalked past the boy and into the castle.

"What was all that about?" Ginny murmured in his ear.

"I'll tell you later."

The students shuffled their feet restlessly. After Beauxbatons arrival, they were all eager to see what the other school would come up with.

Suddenly, the lake began to bubble and churn. Great waves crashed upon the shore. Slowly, a shape began to rise from the depths of the water. As it broke the surface, the students of Hogwarts gasped.

A long skeletal looking ship broke the surface. It was almost seventy feet long and constructed of what looked to be ironwood. It was at least three stories tall with a deck on each story. It bore a resemblance to the Viking ships of old, but was slightly longer and much higher than those mighty vessels. A snarling wolf served as the ships figurehead.

There was a 'click,' and a hatch opened in the front of the ship. A ramp lowered to the sure with a low hum. A tall figure wrapped in furs strode down the ramp. He was followed by a crowd of boys and girls also wrapped in thick furs. As the figure drew closer, it was revealed to be an old man.

He was very thin with blue eyes like Dumbledores, but where Dumbledores were warm and twinkling; this man's were cold and dead, not unlike the eyes of a corpse. He had silver hair and a goatee that did little to hide his rather weak chin. As he approached Dumbledore, he smiled revealing dirty yellow teeth.

"Dumbledore," He boomed. "How are you, my dear fellow?"

"Igor," Dumbledore said smiling and shaking the man's hand. "How was your journey?

Igor waved a dismissive hand. "It was fine, no trouble." He stared up at Hogwarts and his smile widened. "Beautiful Hogwarts, How good it is to be here."

Dumbledore turned to regard the Hogwarts students. "May I present the students of Durmstrang, the magical school of Germany, and this," He continued gesturing at the tall old man, "Is professor Karkaroff the Headmaster of Durmstrang."

The students applauded again. As one, the crowd of students turned to head back into the castle.

As they walked, Ginny turned to Harry. Leaning close, she whispered.

"Is it just me, or do the Durmstrang lot look a bit unpleasant?"

Harry nodded. "There is a slight darkness to their magic."

"What does that mean?"

"Hard to tell," Harry scratched his head. "For now, it means nothing. Come on, I'm hungry."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Harry. There were many strange foods from Durmstrang and France. Harry tried some blood sausage and found it to have a rich iron taste. However, he refused flatly to try Escargo.

After they had all eaten, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"I would like to welcome all of our guests here," he said his voice ringing through the hall. "The tri-wizard tournament is about to begin." He waved his wand, and a pedestal rose out of the floor.

Upon the pedestal, there stood a large roughly hewn goblet. Strange serpentine runes were etched deep into the wood. The cup was filled to the brim with dancing blue flames.

"This," said Dumbledore "Is the goblet of fire. It is the impartial judge that will decide the champions for the tri-wizard tournament. To enter your name for consideration, you must merely write your name and the school you attend on a piece of parchment, and drop it into the fire. Tomorrow night, the goblet will produce three names from those submitted. I must warn you once your name comes out of the goblet it constitutes as a binding magical contract. I urge you therefore to be very sure that you wish to participate in the tournament before submitting your name." He smiled at the students. "And now," He continued. "I think it is time for all of us to go to bed."

There was a scraping of chairs as the students and staff stood and headed towards the doors Harry and Ginny among them.

"What do you think?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Harry whispered, "but I have a bad feeling about this tournament."

_**HPC**_

Voldemort stretched his spindly arms and legs. He watched as Pettegrew stirred the cauldron. The bubbling green liquid steamed and shot tiny sparks into the air.

"Soon," he whispered. "Soon, I will be returned to my former glory."

_**HPC**_

The hallway was quiet. The Goblet of Fire glowed dimly in the darkness of the hallway. A figure stepped out of the shadows and walked over to the Goblet.

The figure drew a piece of parchment from its cloak and dropped it into the goblet.

"I'm sorry," it whispered.

_**HPC**_

The atmosphere in the hall the following night was charged with anticipation. Harry and Ginny were both exhausted. They had spent the day helping each other with their lessons. They just wanted to finish their dinner, see who the champions were, and go to bed.

At the head table, Lily watched Harry, a longing expression on her face. She just wanted to show him that she loved him and try to make up for her mistakes. Little did she know, that her wish was about to come true.

After the meal was complete, Dumbledore rose to his feet. With a flick of his wand, the pedestal holding the goblet floated into the hall and settled on the floor before him.

"It is time," he called, "for the champions to be revealed. When your name is called, please enter the antechamber just off the hall," Dumbledore finished gesturing at a door to the right of the head table.

There was a moment of silence, and then a tongue of flame shot high into the air. Dumbledore plucked a charred piece of parchment out of the fire.

The champion of Durmstrang is Viktor Krum."

The students applauded politely as a tall boy with a hooked nose and sallow skin slouched to the head table and disappeared through the indicated door.

Another piece of parchment shot skyward.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour.

The girl with the silvery blond hair strode haughtily towards the head table and disappeared through the door.

There was a moment of anticipation. The Hogwarts champion was next. A third piece of parchment shot out of the goblet accompanied by a plume of flame.

"The champion of Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory."

The applause from the Hufflepuff table was thunderous. That particular house had never gotten any honor and glory.

A handsome boy, grinning widely, disappeared through the door after the others.

"Well done champions,' Dumbledore bellowed. "This tournament will test all of your skills and I am sure that we can count on your fellow students to…"

He did not get to finish as a burst of flame lifted a fourth piece of parchment high into the air. Dumbledore caught the parchment neatly.

"Harry Potter," he said into the stunned silence of the hall.

A/N Sorry this is so late. I had to rewrite this chapter a time or two before I was satisfied.


	11. ElevenChapter 11

_**Eleven**_

Harry sat in his chair, blinking in shock. He had known that something was going to happen, but this…

He turned to Ginny who looked just as shocked as he felt. How was he going to explain this to her? She had no reason to believe that he wouldn't do something like this. After all, she didn't know him that well. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ginny beat him to it.

"You didn't do it, right?"

"No," Harry whispered back. "I swear to you that I did not enter the tournament or ask an older student to do it for me."

"Harry," Dumbledore's voice interrupted their conversation. "Could you come up here, please?"

Harry stood up and made his way up to the head table. As he approached, he could see Lily staring at him. He absently wondered if she believed he'd entered the tournament. "Through the door if you please, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly.

Harry stared at Dumbledore. "I did not enter the tournament," he said clearly.

Dumbledore stared at Harry steadily. "Nevertheless, you need to join the other champions."

Scowling, Harry entered the chamber and let the door close behind him. As he entered, Fleur turned to face him. "What is it? Do they want us back in the hall?"

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again. What was he supposed to say? His thoughts were cut off as the door opened again. He turned and saw Dumbledore, Lily and two people he didn't know entering the room. Lily made her way over to him. She hesitantly slipped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. She glared at Dumbledore as he closed the door. "He will not be participating," she said firmly. "I will not allow it."

Dumbledore stared at Lily. Something was different. It appeared that her eyes weren't their usual emerald color. Just for a moment, they had turned a golden green.

What could this mean? It was not natural for a wizard's eyes to change color unless they were a metamorph magus, and Lily had never shown any talent in that area. His thoughts were interrupted when Madam Maxime spoke.

"What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore? How can Hogwarts have two champions?"

Dumbledore scratched his beard. He suddenly felt old. All of his one hundred and fifty years seemed to fall upon him at once. He slowly turned to face Harry. "Did you place your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

Harry shook his head. Why did people have to ask stupid questions? "No," he snapped. "I told you before coming in here that I did not enter the tournament."

"Did you ask an older student to do it for you?"

"No,"

"Ah, but of course he is lying," Maxime growled. "How can you allow this in your school, Dumbledore? Students like this are a blemish on Hogwarts reputation."

"He could not have entered the tournament himself," Lily snarled. "Dumbledore placed an age line around the goblet. No one under seventeen could have even come close to it." "Besides," she continued. "I've been watching Harry. He hasn't shown any interest in the tournament."

"Of course you would say that," Maxime said her lip curling. "You are his Mother. You would never see the bad things he has done. You probably believe that he is a little angel that can do no wrong."

"I am no fool," Lily growled. "Even if he wanted to put his name in the goblet, how would he have gotten past the line? You have seen what the line has done to students who tried to cross it, and they had searched the line from end to end looking for a week point. Harry could not have crossed the line."

"That is quite true," a voice said from the doorway.

Everyone jumped. They spun to face the door and gaped.

A beautiful young woman stood there. As they watched, she brushed her auburn hair out of her face. She smiled at Harry and walked over to stand on his other side.

Harry sighed in relief. "Godmother," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Vivienne smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "I was in the neighborhood." She turned to Dumbledore. "He did not enter the tournament himself. I know my godson. He would not risk his life for a school competition."

Dumbledore leaned forward. "Who are you, madam?"

Vivienne grinned. She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms underneath her breasts. "I am Vivienne, godmother to Harry James Potter."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly. _'The fae,'_ he thought.

This had to be the fae that Lily made a deal with so she could have a child. He needed to tread very carefully. No one could know what Vivienne was. He bowed to her. "You are welcome here," he said respectfully.

Vivienne nodded. "Thank you. Now, what do we do to protect my godson?"

A tall man with a handlebar must ash cleared his throat. "Um, he started hesitantly. "The boy's name came out of the goblet. The goblet constitutes as a binding magical contract. He must compete."

"No," Lily said loudly. "The tournament is too dangerous."

Vivienne reached over and touched her arm gently. "He has to," she said softly. "He will lose his magic if he doesn't."

There was no mistaking it this time. Dumbledore clearly saw Lily's eyes turn a bright golden green momentarily.

Vivienne felt Lily's magic spike. The smells of smoke, freshly fallen snow, and moist earth filled the air. _'Fae magic,'_ she thought.

"Well that's it then," a pudgy man standing near the back of the room exclaimed. "Barty here knows the rule book back to front. If he says that Mr. Potter has to compete, then he has to compete." He turned to Dumbledore. "Shall I explain the first task?"

"Hogwarts cannot have two champions," Karkaroff exploded. "It is not fair. Each school is only allowed one champion."

Vivienne raised a hand. "May I see the parchment that came out of the goblet please?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows furrowed. "May I ask why?"

"Humor me."

Dumbledore took the parchment from his robes and handed it to Vivienne.

Vivienne held it close to her eyes. After reading the words on the parchment, she snorted. "Harry will not be participating for Hogwarts."

Dumbledore frowned. "He must compete," he said firmly. "Do you wish your godson to die?"

"You misunderstand," Vivienne said as if speaking to a child. "I said he would not be competing for Hogwarts. Due to the rules of the tournament, he must compete, but the rules do not say that he must compete for Hogwarts."

"What," Karkaroff and Maxime said together.

"No," Vivienne continued. "He will be participating for Avalon."

"Avalon," Cedric spoke up his forehead wrinkling in concentration. "I've never heard of that school."

Vivienne smiled at the boy, causing him to blush. "It is a private school, very secretive."

"But who would have known that Harry went to this school?"

"I do not know, but I will find out."

Everyone shuddered. Vivienne's words had contained a definite note of threat. Karkaroff shifted his feet. "I have no problem with a fourth champion so long as he is not participating for Hogwarts. What say you Madam Maxime?" he asked turning to the large woman.

Maxime shrugged her massive shoulders. "I agree with you. A fourth champion will make no difference."

The pudgy man came forward and cleared his throat. "May I explain about the first task now?" he asked timidly. At everyone's nod he continued. "The first task will take place on the 24th of November. You will not be told what it is. The task is designed to test your bravery in the face of the unknown. Is there any questions?"

There was silence. Finally Dumbledore spoke. "Thank you, Mr. Baggman." He turned to the other occupants of the room. "Does anyone have any other issue to discuss?"

No one said anything. He turned to Vivienne, Lily, and Harry. "Will you three meet me in my office?"

The three shared a look before nodding. They watched as Dumbledore left the room. Karkaroff and Maxime left the office leading their champions back to their respective quarters.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne looked around the office. Strange devices littered every surface. Floor to ceiling bookshelves covered every wall. She froze as she saw the bird with the red and gold plumage standing on its perch.

She lowered her head to it. "Greetings flame bird," she said softly. "It has been a long time since I have seen one of your kind."

The phoenix trilled sadly. Vivienne heard a voice in her head. It sounded like the rustle and crack of flames. _'Greetings, my lady,'_ it said. _'I have heard of you. Your wisdom and power are known even in my realm. Avalon is known as a sanctuary for those who are low in spirit. If you were willing, I'd like to come their one day.'_

Vivienne was stopped from responding as the door opened. Harry, Lily, and James entered followed by Dumbledore. Dumbledore blinked when he saw Vivienne. He sat down behind his desk.

"I think it is time that Harry return to his parents," he said without preamble.

Vivienne frowned slightly. "No."

"You cannot keep him forever."

"We are his parents," James growled. "Give him back now."

"Or what," Vivienne growled. Pointing at James, she continued. "You ignored him. As for Lily," she paused and lowered her head. "Due to certain things I have learned recently, I have realized that I was wrong to take Harry from Lily. I should have taken her with us. All I can do now is beg her forgiveness."

James shivered. He suddenly felt as if he'd been plunged into a bucket of ice cold water. Did Vivienne know? How could she? Hogwarts wards were the best on the planet, and he'd only discussed his plans with Dumbledore in this office, but what other explanation could there be?

Harry was confused. What was Vivienne talking about? Had she learned something while he was at Hogwarts?

Dumbledore frowned. What had Vivienne learned? She must of learned about the potions and spells, but did she know who'd cast them upon Lily? This would not do. If Lily found out that James and he had potioned her; it would be grounds for severing their marriage bond. There would be time for that later. For now, he needed to deal with Vivienne.

"You do not regret taking Harry from his home?"

"No, I gave him a choice when I took him. He elected to come with me. Avalon is his home now."

James felt his temper rising. Fae or not, he would not allow her to justify kidnapping his son. It was time she remembered who she was dealing with. "I am the lord of the Potter family," he said his voice as cold as an arctic wind. "You have kidnapped my son. Return him or else."

All pretense of humanity was gone as Vivienne stared at James. Her glamour slowly melted away revealing her true form. Lily gasped. She had never seen this form before. Harry grinned. Vivienne only allowed her glamour to fade when she was very angry.

Vivienne was still tall and supernaturally slender. Her eyes were still golden green without iris or pupil. Long slim fingers ended in nails cut to a sharp point. Her skin was a bronze color as if she spent a lot of time in the son, Soft hair as blue as the waters of the sea fell just short of her shoulders. When she spoke, her voice was like the waves crashing upon the beach, soft and soothing, but with an undercurrent of power.

"It is you who do not know who you are dealing with, little man. I could crush you with a mere thought. Thus far, I have been content to leave you alone, but if you continue to test me then you will find out what I am truly capable of."

James's face turned a furious red. He leapt to his feet and glared even harder at Vivienne.

"Do not threaten me, fae," he spat. "Wizards banished your kind from this world before and we can do it again."

"You never banished us, mortal," a cold harsh voice said from right behind him. "We left of our own accord."

James spun around and blanched.

Behind him stood a giant, dressed in black armor. His face was as cold and emotionless as a block of stone. He had short silver hair and glowing red eyes. As James watched, they shifted to a serpentine green and then to an electric blue. A giant sword hung on his right hip and he fingered it while staring at James thoughtfully. "Who are you?" James said sharply.

"The Erlking," Harry whispered in shock. "I've heard stories about you."

The Erlking turned to look at Harry. "Were they good?"

"No, not really."

The Erlking grinned, revealing raiser sharp teeth. "Then they were probably true."

Dumbledore stood behind his desk, pointing his wand at the armored giant. "What are you doing here?" he asked steadily.

The Erlking eyed the wand pointed at him curiously. He tilted his head to the side and his grin widened. "I recognize that wand. It was one of the artifacts that I created."

Harry raised an eyebrow and turned to his godmother. "Does that mean that it's…?"

Vivienne raised a hand to quiet him. "Shh," she hissed. "Not now. We'll talk about it later."

Dumbledore was frowning at the Erlking. "You created this wand? Are you death? I was told that he was the creator of this wand and its brothers."

The Erlking chuckled. "I am an agent of death. Death itself has no personification. It is merely a force in the universe. It has no sentience or awareness. As for the brothers you mentioned, they were so easy to play with. I gave them those artifacts to teach each one a lesson. Only the third brother passed my test."

"Enough of this," James roared. "I do not care who you are. I'm taking my son back now."

Before any of them could react, he had raised his wand and pointed it at The Erlking. "Ignis ventus," he shouted.

A wind of pure flame engulfed the Erlking hiding him from view. It formed a funnel and spun so fast that even Vivienne with her greater than human sight had trouble keeping track of its progress. When it died down, the Erlking stood there, completely unharmed.

"That was not nice at all, nor was it a proper way to treat a guest," he growled; "however, because of the reason I am here, I'll not kill you.'

Before James could say or do anything, the Erlking had stepped forward and touched him on the forehead with one finger. James's body seized up and he crumpled to the floor and lay still.

"What have you done?" Dumbledore bellowed.

"Relax," Harry said quietly. "The Erlking has merely placed a sleeping enchantment on him. He'll wake up in a few hours."

"Very observant, boy," the Erlking rumbled. "Has your godmother told you why I am here?"

"No sir," Harry murmured bowing his head respectfully. "This is the first time I've seen her in several weeks."

The Erlking grunted and turned to Dumbledore. "I think it is safe to say that the boy will not be returning to the Potters. Now, if you will excuse us, I have something to discuss with Mrs. Potter and Harry."

Before Dumbledore could respond, the Erlking had left the office followed by the others.

Dumbledore looked down at the unconscious James Potter. He sighed. "Things just got a lot more complicated, my friend." From his perch, Fawkes gave a mournful trill. The last vestige of his bond with Dumbledore wavered and was gone.

_**HPC**_

When they reached an empty classroom, the Erlking ushered everyone inside and closed the door. Placing his hand flat upon the door, there was a slight hissing sound. When he removed his hand, an exact imprint of it was burned into the wood. "No one will be able to hear us now," he growled.

"What is going on," Lily said her voice trembling. "Who are you? She asked the Erlking, and what are you doing here?"

"I mean you no harm, lass," the Erlking said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "I am actually here to see you."

"Me, What do I have to do with… well any of this."

The Erlking scratched his head. He waved his hand and a simple wooden chair appeared behind him. He sat down gingerly and looked over at Vivienne. "Perhaps you would like to explain?"

Vivienne conjured chairs for herself, Harry, and Lily. She gestured for them all to sit. When they had all done so, Vivienne stared at Lily. How did you tell someone that you thought you were their long lost aunt? Hell, for all she knew, Lily may not even know that she was adopted. "Are your parents your biological parents?" she asked finally.

Lily blinked. "What?" she sputtered. "Why does… what do… What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," the Erlking rumbled. "We would not ask these questions if they were not of great importance. We fae do not waste time with stupid questions."

Vivienne stared at Lily desperately. "Please, I need to know. It may be of great importance to Harry as well."

Lily turned to look at Harry who was staring at her in confusion. Guilt gnawed at her insides. She had missed so much of his life. She sat up straighter and squared her shoulders. For her son, she would tell them anything they wanted to know. "Yes, my Mother and Father found me on their doorstep on the morning of January 30, 1960."

Vivienne restrained herself from smiling. This was not the time. "You know that you were under the effects of extremely powerful potions until a few weeks ago?"

Lily nodded, "yes."

"When I removed the effects of the potions and spells I found something, unusual." Vivienne took a deep breath. "Your magical signature is similar to my sisters, Morgana."

Harry turned to look at Vivienne. "What does that mean, godmother?"

"One of two things," the Erlking growled. "Either you are Morgana, or you are our daughter."

Lily's eyes rolled up in her head, and she fell backwards. Harry stepped forward and caught her before she hit the floor.

Vivienne sighed. "You are as blunt as ever."

The Erlking scowled. "I don't believe in beating around the bush. It is a waste of precious time."

Harry was staring at Vivienne. The expression on his face was unreadable. "My Mum was under the effects of potions this whole time," he said in a small voice. "She didn't ignore me of her own free will?"

Vivienne winced. Harry's words had cut her to the core. She had not realized how deeply Lily's forced neglect had affected him. Reaching out, she pulled him to her. "No," she choked tears rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry. I should have investigated more thoroughly. I should have realized that Lily would not ignore you if she was in her right mind."

Harry allowed his head to fall against Vivienne's shoulder. Tears ran down his own cheeks as he let twelve years of pain out.

The Erlking stood watching the emotional scene impassively. He looked down at Lily, noticing she was beginning to stir. Leaning down, he gently touched her forehead. "Sleep," he murmured softly. He watched in satisfaction as her eyes closed again. Leaning closer, the Erlking examined Lily thoroughly.

He smiled. It was subtle, so subtle that even the fae had to look close to notice it. "Yes," he whispered to himself, "A most subtle glamour." He made an intricate gesture over her body. Nothing happened. "Morgana always was better with glamour than I was," he growled. "It will take powerful magic to break it, but there are other ways to find out her identity. He waved his hand again and shadowy black letters appeared floating above Lily.

Lilith Le Fay.

Father: Erlkonig.

Mother: Morgana Le Fay.

The Erlking's eyes widened. "Lilith," he whispered as tears ran down his face. His shoulders shook with the force of his sobs. He gathered her into his arms and held her close. _'My daughter,'_ he thought. _'I have my daughter back.' _

_**HPC**_

Peter watched the rise and fall of his master's chest as he slept. He was concerned. There were rumors among some of the rats he'd talked to that the fae were taking an interest in the mortal world again. If this was true than all of his master's plans could be ruined before they had even begun. What was he going to do? Should he tell his master of these rumors?

Voldemort opened his scarlet eyes and stared at his servant. Something was bothering the small man and he needed to know what. With an effort, he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Wormtail," he rasped. "I can smell your apprehension. What troubles you?"

Peter gulped. It was now or never. "My lord," he began. "I have heard some disturbing rumors."

"Indeed," Voldemort hissed. "What sort of rumors?"

"There are rumors that the fae are taking an interest in the mortal world again. At least two were sighted at Hogwarts this very night."

To Peter's shock, Voldemort began to laugh. "Good, good," he hissed clapping his hands together. "Now my plan can truly begin." Leaning forward, he fixed Peter with a hard stare. "Listen closely, Wormtail and follow my instructions exactly."

_**HPC**_

Puck blinked. Where was he? He'd never seen this place before. He turned in a circle, taking in all of his surroundings.

He stood in a large room that appeared not to have been cleaned in a long time. He tried to take a step forward, but hissed in pain as his foot struck something. Looking down, he saw a circle of pure iron laid out upon the floor. He recognized the runes etched into the iron. A cold bead of sweat ran down his back. His mouth was suddenly very dry.

"I am so sorry for the accommodations," a voice said lazily, "but you fae have an annoying tendency to run away when someone tries to learn your secrets."

Puck turned to face the speaker and grimaced. He had to be the ugliest thing he'd ever seen.

The thing was about the size of a human toddler, with long spindly arms and legs. Long and disturbingly human looking fingers gripped the arms of the chair the thing was sitting in. Its face was a combination of human and serpent.

"You should have seen me when I was first returned to a physical form," the thing in the chair hissed. "I looked even worse then."

"What do you want, abomination," Puck growled. "The fae have no dealings with sorcerers."

The thing in the chair smiled revealing almost normal looking teeth, except for long snake-like fangs where the canines should be. "Sorcerer is such an ugly word," it said. "Besides, it implies that I am still human, and I have left such mundane limitations behind me. I will be the first of a new species of being."

Puck listened to this with a bored expression. "Good for you, so what do you want with me. If you're looking for a mate, I'm not interested. I don't swing that way."

The things jaw seemed to come unhinged, dropping down onto its chest. A strange choked gurgle came out of its mouth. It took Puck a moment to realize that the creature was laughing.

"I seek no mate, fae," the creature said still chuckling. "If I did, I wouldn't choose one of your kind," he finished in disgust. "I would not want my children tainted with your blood."

Puck rolled his eyes. "I don't even know what the hell you are and you call me tainted. Man, do you have problems."

The things patronizing smile suddenly disappeared. "To business trickster," he said solemnly. "I am Lord Voldemort, the greatest sorcerer in the world. Ah," he said as Puck started. "I see you have heard of me."

"You are the idiot that twisted his body and soul with dark magic to try and prolong his life."

"Yes, I am the one who dared to tread the path that no other wizard has trod before. Before you dare to judge, look at me now. My previous form was destroyed and yet I am still here. My soul is still bound to this plane. I am still alive."

Puck stared at Voldemort sadly for several moments. "You still don't realize do you?" he asked finally.

"What?" Voldemort snapped. "What are you talking about?"

"There are some forms of magic that the fae do not mess with. The magic you have used to extend your life beyond your physical death is one of them. It is vile beyond description."

"Perhaps," Voldemort hissed; "However, it is my choice to make."

"You are twisting your soul with each act of sorcery you perform. Don't you understand that? There is a clear and distinct difference between sorcery and magic.

Sorcery is the blackest of magic. It is a violation of the natural laws. It warps the mind, body, and soul. You are becoming less and less human with each sorceress spell you cast."

Voldemort suddenly raised one hand. "Crucio," he roared.

A surprised Puck crumpled to the ground, writhing in agony. Through the unbearable pain, he heard Voldemort speaking.

"Sorcery has enabled me to do what no other wizard can do. I can hurt you. Now, you will tell me what I want to know."

Puck slowly climbed back to his feet. He could feel every muscle twitching uncontrollably. He swayed and almost fell. It had been a long time since he'd been hurt like that. He swallowed repeatedly to prevent himself from being sick. He looked at the thing in the chair and saw it leaning heavily against one of the arms of the chair. This gave him an idea, but he needed to keep Voldemort distracted. He gulped. This was going to hurt. "What do you want, Voldemort, he croaked.

Panting, Voldemort glared at the fae standing before him. He was exhausted, but this thing would talk. He would learn what he needed to know. "It is said that your race is immortal. I want to know your secret. How is your race immortal? How do you exist for thousands upon thousands of years with no sign of age or disease?"

"No," Puck said firmly. No sooner had the word passed his lips, than he was on the ground again twitching uncontrollably.

"Do not tempt me," Voldemort snarled. "I know that while you are inside that iron circle you are helpless. You can't use your magic to escape or defend yourself, so if you do not tell me what I want to know, then I'm going to start removing your limbs one by one."

Puck rolled over and spat out a mouthful of blood. "You insolent mortal," he sneered rising to his feet. "You have no idea who you are dealing with. I am Puck, the trickster. I am the laughter in the night. I am the moonlight that flits along the forest floor. I am the one who gives travelers the dreams in midsummer, and I will not be brought low by a worm that is lower than the lowest creature."

With a twist of his wrist, the iron circle surrounding Puck snapped in two with a loud crack. Smiling, the trickster stepped casually out of the circle to face Voldemort.

Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort stared at the trickster. How could this happen? He had planned for everything. Puck's magic should have been useless inside the iron circle. He should have been at Voldemort's mercy. "How," Voldemort gasped. "How did you escape?"

Puck laughed. "You really need to do more research on the fae you attempt to trap. My grandmother was a mortal. That means that I am immune to the effects of pure iron."

"Wormtail!" Voldemort roared. "Now!"

Puck turned to face the small man that had hurried into the room. "Oh shit," he muttered as he watched Wormtail touch his finger to a rune drawn in blood. There was a loud whistling sound and then a deafening bang.

Puck was lifted off the floor and hurled backwards. He flew through the wall behind him and landed painfully in the weed choked yard of the house.

"Ouch," he groaned. "That hurt." He struggled to his feet and staggered away from the house. He had to tell Vivienne. She needed to know that Voldemort knew how to summon fae. He reflected that he was just lucky that Voldemort didn't know how to bind fae to his will.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Twelve**_

Lily groaned. She shifted slightly and felt warm arms cradling her. She tried to stretch and felt the warm arms holding her tighten slightly before loosening and allowing her to sit up. "What," she muttered. "Where am I?"

"Lilith," a voice growled. "Are you awake? How do you feel?"

The voice stirred something in Lily's memory. _'Where have I heard it before,'_ she thought. It hit her like a bucket of ice cold water. The Erlking laid a hand on her shoulder hesitantly. Lily looked at him with haunted eyes. "Is it true? Am I your daughter?"

The Erlking smiled hesitantly. "Hello, Lilith," he said gently. "I have missed you so much."

Lily leaned away from him. "No!" she exclaimed. "This can't be. I can't just give you a hug and tell you everything is fine. Why did you leave me? Didn't you want me?" Her voice broke on the last words. She glared at the Erlking. "And for your information, my name is Lily not Lilith."

"Of course we wanted you," the Erlking said sadly. "You're Mother and I loved you, but things happened, and just so you know, you're Mother and I named you Lilith."

"What sort of things?" Lily snarled. "What could possibly have been so bad that you would abandon your only daughter? She paused for a second. "I am your only daughter, right? You didn't have another child and feel like you needed to get rid of the spare, did you?"

Before the Erlking could answer, there was a loud thud and a grunt of pain. Both he and Lily turned their heads and froze.

Puck lay sprawled on the floor. Blood trickled from several deep cuts on his face and body. His left eye was gone, leaving an empty socket staring blankly up at the ceiling. His remaining eye twitched and rolled, seeming not to focus on anything. "Puck!" Vivienne shouted hurrying over. "What happened?"

"I got caught," he gasped. He coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. "I thought I escaped, but attacked, took my bloody eye, feels like I've got a hot poker jammed in my skull. Don't know how they found me."

Harry walked over and knelt beside his old friend. Puck looked up at him. "Hi Harry," he called drunkenly. "You look good, kid. You'll be going through the change soon."

"Puck," Vivienne said firmly. "What happened to you? Who attacked you?"

"Oh," Puck said sounding entirely too chipper considering he looked as if he'd been through a meat grinder. "It was Voldemort. At their looks, he giggled. "He tortured me," he said still giggling, "but I escaped," He finished in a stage whisper. After a pause, he continued speaking. "Well, I was blown through a wall. Point is, I got away, but didn't know the hunt was in the area." He turned to look at Vivienne. "Did you know they really hate you?"

"Puck," the Erlking growled. "Stick to the story."

"They really don't like you either," Puck said looking at him. "They kept singing a song about you only having one testicle. What did you do to piss them off?"

Seeing the look on the Erlking's face, Puck continued speaking hurriedly. "Nothing more to tell," he mumbled his good eye closing. "I'd start investigating though. Voldemort has a rudimentary body." So saying, Puck's entire body relaxed and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Vivienne checked him over thoroughly. She paid special attention to the socket where his left eye used to be. The eye had been removed with surgical neatness. She frowned. "Erlking, do you know an elven healer that could mend this sort of injury?"

The Erlking stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Morgana would have been able to. Biokinesis was one of her skills. I don't know of any other healer that could replace an eye, not in the Seelie court anyway. There's an old blacksmith that may be able to forge him a new eye, name of Wayland, but his services usually come at a price."

"What sort of price," Harry asked. "Would he want pucks firstborn son or something?"

The Erlking chuckled. "Nothing so druidic. He'll probably want a tooth or finger of one of Puck's attackers."

"No problem there," Puck said suddenly. They all turned to look at him. "What? I can be unconscious and pay attention to a conversation at the same time. It's just one of my many talents."

"What do you have," Lily asked.

Puck reached into his pocket. After a bit of searching, he pulled out a skull. Everyone except the Erlking jumped back in surprise. "Will this do," Puck asked innocently.

The Erlking took the skull and examined it. No meat remained on the bone. It looked as if it had been picked clean by some sort of animal. "How did you get this?"

"The hounds aren't too choosy whim they eat during a hunt," Puck said faintly. "I knocked one of the riders off his horse. The hounds did the rest. He's not fae because he left a body behind, but I have no idea what he might have been. He wasn't human, that's for sure, not with the head of a dog."

"I need to get him back to Avalon," Vivienne said suddenly. "Our healers can fix the rest of his wounds. Can you contact Wayland for me?"

"Of course," the Erlking said. "I'll get on that after I talk with Lily."

At the name Lily, Puck opened his eye again. "Did you say Lily? Lily Evans Potter? She's hot."

Lily blushed, but before she could say anything, Puck continued speaking. "I was asked to watch over her you know. After Morgana cast her spell, she wanted me to keep an eye on Lily and make sure she was safe, so I did."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Vivienne said exasperatedly.

"Secrecy oath," Puck said. I couldn't speak of this matter until Lily knew the truth. There's some more stuff I can't tell you right now as well, but when you find out about it, I can explain."

"Why would Morgana trust you?" the Erlking said sounding slightly hurt. "Why you and not me."

Puck didn't answer. Vivienne looked down at him and saw he'd past out again. "I'm taking him back to Avalon before he wakes up again." The Erlking opened his mouth, but Vivienne held up a hand. "I'll try and get more information out of him when he wakes, but we're not getting anything useful from him right now." She turned to Harry. "Will you be alright here by yourself?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, go take care of Puck. I'll be fine." He smiled at Lily hesitantly. "This will give Mum and I time to… reconnect."

Lily smiled back at her son. "I'll look after him," she told Vivienne. "If anything happens, I'll let you know."

"Good," Vivienne said distractedly. "I'll see you both as soon as I can."

Without another word, Vivienne vanished, leaving a lingering smell of salt water hanging in the air.

There was silence in the room for several seconds. "Well," the Erlking said finally. "I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

Lily nodded. "Why did Mom run away with me?"

The Erlking stared off into space for several moments. "It was all because of a disagreement," he began.

_**HPC**_

Ginny stared at Harry, her eyes wide. Leaning close, she whispered into his ear. "There are fae in the wizarding world again? I thought they all left centuries ago?"

"They did," Harry whispered back, "but my grandmother left my Mother with some muggles. My Grandfather said something about a disagreement with the former ruler of the Seelie court." Frowning in concentration, Harry stared down at the table. "I don't know what it was over, but Grandfather said that Gwyn AP Nudd disagreed with a decision Morgana made."

Ginny shrugged. "At least you know that your Mum didn't ignore you on purpose."

Harry nodded. He honestly didn't know how to feel. How was he supposed to accept the fact that his Mother hadn't ignored him of her own free will? It had still happened. He'd still been neglected, on purpose or not. "Yeah," he said finally.

"Come on," Ginny said suddenly. "We'll be late for transfiguration."

Harry got up and followed Ginny out of the great hall, still thinking about his Mother.

_**HPC**_

Unseen by the occupants of the hall, a figure watched Harry and Ginny walking. Things were still alright, but Harry would need to be protected. Even with the training he had received at Avalon, this tournament would still be dangerous. They would ensure he was safe. It was the least they could do after what they'd done. Dumbledore prattled on about the greater good, but he had no idea what that phrase meant.

_**HPC**_

Lily leaned back in the armchair and sighed. Her head was spinning. How was she supposed to react to the fact that she wasn't human? The Erlking had said that Morgana had left her with her adoptive parents for her own good, but her biological parents had still abandoned her.

The Erlking had insisted on examining her thoroughly. He'd discovered a powerful glamour maintaining her current appearance. However, the glamour had done more than that. It restricted her magic. The Erlking estimated that around ninety percent of her power was bound by the glamour. Disturbingly, he had no idea how to remove it. Apparently, Morgana had tapped into Avalon's power to cast her spell.

Lily absently picked up a book and began flipping pages. What did she really look like? Was she tall, short, skinny, fat, pretty, or ugly? The Erlking had said that the glamour didn't alter her appearance to an extreme extent, but he did admit that he was no expert on glamour.

Lily didn't want to think about that right now. She had something else to consider. Standing, she headed towards the door. She needed to talk to Harry. It was time that they put their past behind them, and the only way to do that was to talk. They hadn't had a chance to do that since their meeting the previous night. She was going to get her son back, no matter what.

_**HPC**_

Harry curled into a ball. He had to clench his teeth to keep a moan of pain from escaping him. His blood seemed to be boiling in his veins. Every nerve seemed to have turned to ice. Finally, the pain began to ebb. He let out a slow breath. What was that?

This was the third or fourth time he'd felt pain like this. He really needed to talk to Vivienne about this, but he didn't want to worry her. He wished Puck hadn't been injured. He would know what was happening. He remembered his comment last night.

"You'll be going through your change soon."

What could that mean? Did Puck know something about him that he didn't, or was Puck delirious when he made that statement? He chuckled to himself. Of course Puck would know things that he didn't. He was Puck, after all.

"Harry?" a tentative voice said behind him.

Harry jumped and spun around. "Mum?" he said hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

Lily stepped closer, a nervous smile on her face. "I wanted to talk to you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Your childhood."

Harry flinched at those words. "I…" he paused. What was he supposed to say? "I don't know what to tell you. I do understand that it wasn't your fault, but I was still ignored."

Lily nodded. "Yes, you were, and I can't change that." She looked at him earnestly. "Believe me, if I could go back into the past I would. All we can do now is move forward. Vivienne made sure that you had a good childhood, so at least you didn't have to suffer any longer than you already had. Do you think we can put the past behind us and move forward?"

Harry stared at his Mother. For nine years, he'd believed that she didn't love him. During that time, he'd begun to think of Vivienne as a second Mother. Now, here Lily was, standing in front of him and asking for them to be a family again. "What about Dad?" he asked finally. "You know he will not like it if you start spending time with me again."

"I do not care," Lily said coldly. "I have already lost nine years with you and I won't lose any more time. If James doesn't like it, he can get over it."

Harry nodded. Lily was right. They had already lost enough time as it was. _'Besides,'_ he thought. _'She was a victim to. Whoever potioned her is the one at fault.'_ "We'll have to take it slow. Things can't just go back to the way they were before right away."

"I know, son," Lily said, "but we have time. We'll take things slow. I just want to be in your life again."

Harry smiled. "I'd like that," he said hesitantly.

"Good," Lily smiled back. "Now, tell me about your life."

_**HPC**_

Puck opened his eyes hesitantly. Something was wrong. He reached up and found the empty socket where his left eye used to be. "Oh," he said flatly. "What the hell happened? I feel like I've been eaten by a dragon and then crapped out."

"You don't remember do you?" a gentle voice said beside him. Puck turned his head to look at Vivienne.

"Remember what?" he croaked. "What happened to me?"

"You told us that Voldemort captured you, and then you were attacked by the Unseelie court. Do you remember anything?"

Puck lay there for a few moments. Everything was fuzzy. He remembered a serpentine face glaring at him, pain, and blood. "Yeah," he said at last. "He's back and he is practicing sorcery."

Vivienne frowned. Sorcery was the only thing that could harm the fae. "How advanced is he?"

"I don't know," Puck said licking his dry lips. "He's advanced enough to know how to harm us. I don't know if he's learned how to kill us yet. You know how sorcery is. He'll probably be insane by the time he learns those spells."

"Not if he becomes demon ridden first. If he becomes a true sorcerer, he'll be very dangerous. Sorcerers are strong enough that they can kill the weaker fae without much effort."

"I know," Puck said. "Do you think he would make a deal with the Unseelie court?"

"I don't know. I didn't deal with Voldemort that much. I don't know how he thinks. Dumbledore might, but something tells me that he's not going to share any information with us."

Puck coughed. "I would offer to go spy on him, but I'm not going to be up to that for a while."

Vivienne handed him a cup of cool water. As she stepped away, she brushed his hair away from his face. "Just rest," she murmured softly. "We'll think of something."

Puck was already drifting off. "Can you restore my eye?" he asked sleepily.

"Don't worry, we're working on it."

"Good," Puck grumbled. "I don't want to be a pirate."

Vivienne laughed. "Go to sleep."

_**HPC**_

The next few weeks passed without incident. Harry and Ginny continued there helping of one another.

Ginny grunted as she concentrated, watching fixedly as the heavy wooden trunk floated in midair. With a crash, the trunk landed hard on the floor.

"Damn," she panted. "I couldn't hold it."

Harry handed her a bottle of water. "You are still doing very well," he said soothingly. "Dumbledore himself isn't this good at wandless magic."

Ginny blinked. "I thought Dumbledore was a master of wandless magic?"

Harry chuckled. "No, Dumbledore is far from a master. He is good, but he is nowhere near as good as the avalonian magic users.

"There are wizards on Avalon?"

"Of course!" Harry exclaimed. They aren't really wizards, but weres, but they perform magic like wizards."

"Weres?" Ginny asked raising an eyebrow. "What is a were?"

"Shapeshifter, but not like the werewolves you have. A were can change into a Hybrid form of animal and man. However, they can also change into a full animal form. Each has an aptitude for a particular branch of magic."

"Are they immortal?"

Harry shook his head. "No one is immortal. Fae and weres are ageless, but they can still die. One good thrust with a sword and they'll die just like any other person."

"Does that ever make you sad?" Ginny asked. "I mean your family will all outlive you."

Harry was silent for a while. "Kind of, but humans aren't supposed to live forever. Every one dies at some point."

Ginny nodded. Casually, she waved a hand and the trunk lifted into the air. It wobbled for a moment before steadying, hovering about three feet off the ground. "So," she asked her voice a little strained. "Do the fae stop changing after a certain point? You said that they were ageless, so they stop aging. Does that mean they are frozen in time?"

Harry shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "They grow in power as they get older. Supposedly, there magic grows so powerful that some are able to manipulate time and space. There muscles, skin and bones grow more durable, and some legends say that they grow more beautiful as they age, but I haven't seen that many older fae on Avalon. A lot of the fae that live on Avalon are less than one thousand. Godmother is one of the only fae over a thousand."

Ginny nodded, slowly lowering the trunk back to the floor. Letting out a breath, she flopped backwards on the floor. Harry lay back beside her.

"You are doing very well," he said smiling. "You didn't drop it that time."

"Do you think I'll ever be as good as an elf?"

"Sure," Harry said smiling. "Elves just learn to use magic without a wand. Any wizard can learn wandless magic; they just have to try hard enough."

Ginny smiled at him and stood up. "Come on," she said grabbing his hand and beginning to tug him towards the door. "Let's get back to the common room."

_**HPC**_

November 24th was a clear sunny day. As he walked across the grounds, Harry could feel a worm of unease coiling in his gut. He had a bad feeling about this. As he breathed in, he froze.

The smell of shed snake skin filled the air. Harry felt sweat break out on his forehead. Slowly, he took another deep breath. This time he smelled smoke and burning leaves. _'It's just a coincidence,'_ he thought. _'They wouldn't allow the champions to fight dragons. That would be suicide.'_ Harry saw the other champions clustered around a tent. He hesitantly followed them inside.

_**HPC**_

Lily sat alone in the stands ringing her hands. Not for the first time, she cursed Dumbledore for forcing Harry into this blasted tournament. A roar from the arena below made her look down. Four massive dragons were snarling and snapping at the wizards surrounding them. _'You have got to be kidding me,'_ she thought. A gasp to her right drew her attention. Turning her head, she saw Ginny Weasley swaying on her feet staring at the dragons with a horrified expression on her face.

Lily leaned over and wrapped an arm around the girl. "He'll be fine," she said just as much to convince herself as Ginny. "I'm sure Vivienne trained him for this kind of situation."

"No I did not," a choked voice said behind her. She turned to see the elf in question looking as if she were about to be sick. "I never thought he'd face a dragon," she said in a high pitch voice. "Elves don't make a habit of keeping dragons as pets.

"Not to mention that dragons are highly resistant to magic," the Erlking grunted as he approached.

"So what can Harry do," Ginny whispered.

The Erlking shrugged. "I'm not worried yet. Let's see what the first task is and them we can all wet ourselves with fear, sound good?"

Vivienne let out a choked laugh. "You wet yourself when fighting a dragon? I thought nothing could scare the brave leader of the wild hunt," she teased.

"The Erlking shrugged unashamedly. "Former leader of the wild hunt, thank you very much, and in case you haven't noticed, the dragon breathes fire that can melt rock. I had a spear made of wood, and a sword both of which the dragon proceeded to melt and turn to ash respectively."

"This isn't the time for jokes," Lily snapped. "What can we do to help Harry?"

"Nothing," the Erlking growled. "He'll have to handle this on his own."

_**HPC**_

Harry leaned against the wall and regarded the other champions. They all seemed to be trying to put on a brave face. Fleur looked determined, but Harry thought he detected a slight green tinge to her skin. Krum looked almost board, and Cedric looked nervous, but excited.

Harry frowned and looked at the other two champions. Something wasn't right. Viktor and Fleur looked as if they knew something that Harry and Cedric obviously didn't. Could they know what the task entailed?"

"Everybody ready," Mr. Bagman said as he bounced into the tent. He stepped in front of the group and smiled. "Right," he said. "You will each pull a model of the creature you will be facing from this bag. Your task," he paused dramatically, "is to retrieve the golden egg. Ladies first," he said offering the bag to Fleur.

Fleur stepped forward and drew a model of a dragon out of the bag. It had a long serpentine body with short stubby legs and a broad flat head. Harry felt his stomach drop.

He watched numbly as Krum and Cedric pulled there dragons out of the bag, and then it was his turn. He slowly reached into the bag and drew out a dragon that looked like a cross between a tyrannosaurus rex and stegosaurus."

"Right," Bagman said. "You will each compete in the order that your models were drawn, so when you hear the whistle, Ms. Delacour you will come out first. I'd like to wish you all good luck."

They all watched as Bagman left the tent before turning to each other. "Did you know about this," Cedric asked his voice shaking. "I didn't know we'd have to get passed dragons."

"Scared," Krum grunted. "Maybe you should not have entered after all." His eyes turned to Harry, "either of you."

Fleur opened her mouth, but the whistle blew. She closed it and straightened her back. Turning away, she headed determinedly towards the entrance of the tent. They all watched her pass through it and vanish from sight. They all heard Bagman's booming voice.

"I give you the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour." There was a roar from the crowd.

The next few minutes were agonizing for Harry. There were cries of "Almost got it," and "Ooo that was a close one." Finally, Bagman announced that Fleur had her egg.

There was the shrill blast of a whistle. Slowly, Krum rose to his feet and slouched out of the tent. "Now," Bagman shouted. "Here comes the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum!"

It was worse than before. Krum had no sooner entered the arena, when a deafening roar echoed through the stadium. After several moments, Bagman announced that Krum had gotten his egg.

Again, the whistle blue. Cedric stood up and began walking shakily out of the tent. "Good luck," Harry grunted. Cedric nodded stiffly.

Then Harry was alone. He felt sweat beginning to drip down his face. How was he supposed to fight a dragon? He looked at the model he held which bared its teeth and blew tiny sparks at him. Dimly, he could hear Bagman's commentary, but it didn't seem important. The roars of the dragon, the screams of the crowd, all seemed to be coming from a great distance. However, he heard it loud and clear as the whistle blew for the fourth and final time.

_**HPC**_

Ginny clasped her hands together as Bagman yelled out. "Here is Harry James Potter, the fourth champion of the triwizard tournament representing Avalon." There was polite applause. Ginny kept her eyes riveted on the arena as the biggest dragon she'd ever seen was led out.

The creatures roar was almost deafening. It looked almost half the size of Hogwarts, but Ginny knew it could not possibly be that big. Its scales were a poisonous green, and its yellow eyes flashed with rage. As it exhaled, a massive ball of fire shot into the sky. Its spike tail carved gashes over a yard long into the earth. "Bloody hell," Ginny whispered. She turned to Lily and Vivienne.

"Is there anything that Harry can do?"

Vivienne shook her head. "I don't know. Harry is well trained in both magic and combat, but the closest thing I ever had him fight was a mountain troll and they aren't nearly this dangerous. I would have never pitted him against a dragon."

"You made my son fight a mountain troll," Lily shrieked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Quite possibly, but my sanity is not up for discussion, and don't look at me like that. It was the most magically resistant thing on Avalon. I didn't want Harry relying too heavily on his magic in a fight."

Lily was stopped from responding as Harry entered the arena. "He looks so small," she whispered.

"He'll be fine," the Erlking growled. "He's my Grandson, and I may wet myself when I faced a dragon, but I survived. Harry can do the same."

"Wet himself or survive?" Vivienne asked innocently.

"Who can tell at this point, could be one or the other, both, or neither. Personally, I'm hoping for both."

_**HPC**_

Harry looked up at the mountain of scales towering above him. One gleaming yellow eye regarded him suspiciously. The other was fixed firmly on the nest of eggs between its front legs.

"Here goes nothing," Harry murmured. He gestured with his right hand. A mist spread across the arena. Within seconds, the mist had solidified into a wall of solid stone.

Harry touched a hand to the top of his head. He sighed in relief as a pins and needles sensation spread throughout his entire body. _'The cloaking spell is supposed to hide me from all five senses, but I have no idea if it'll work on a dragon or not.'_

Taking a deep breath, Harry waved his hand and the wall vanished, just as the dragon unleashed a blast of white hot flame right at him.

Swearing, Harry dove to the ground. The smell of burning hair filled the air. The pain of searing flesh let him know exactly what had happened. Swiftly, Harry kicked himself into a roll barreling across the arena. The crash of the chain made Harry look up. The dragon was straining to reach him, its long neck fully extended and its teeth snapping.

_'Well, the cloaking spell doesn't work.'_ Scowling, Harry let the spell drop. He crouched behind a pile of rocks and thought quickly. He needed to distract the dragon, but how? How did you fight something that big?

Harry stared fixedly at one of the rocks. It was a bolder about the size of a small car. Concentrating, Harry focused all of his will on the bolder. He groaned as a horrible ache spread throughout his skull. He'd never tried to lift anything this heavy with his will alone. Blood dripped from his nose and sprayed from his mouth. He could even feel blood oozing out of his eyes.

Slowly, the bolder rose into the air. It wobbled dangerously, but then steadied. The bolder started to move slowly towards the dragon before picking up speed.

The dragon opened its mouth and inhaled, preparing to unleash a blast of fire, but it was too late. There was a sickening crunch as the bolder smashed straight into the dragon's open mouth.

The dragon let out a muffled growl, before spitting the bolder out. The partially melted rock flew through the air. The dragon lunged at the thing that had hurt it. The chain holding it in place was pulled taught.

'Crack!' Harry's eyes widened. "Oh crap," he grumbled. The chain had broken. The dragon roared triumphantly and rose into the air, the chain swinging back and forth.

"You have got to be kidding me," Harry shouted as the dragon soared straight towards him.

**HPC**

Ginny stared at the dragon. She turned to Lily and Vivienne. "I didn't just see that, right? Tell me the dragon's not free, and I'm just having a nightmare."

Vivienne had gone white. "You're not dreaming," she croaked.

"What can Harry do now?" Lily shrieked.

"I need new underwear," The Erlking said sadly.

_**HPC**_

The tournament officials had planned for just this sort of situation. Within seconds, the dragon handlers had leapt into action. Jets of multicolored light struck the dragon from all sides, with no effect.

The dragon roared at the tiny insects that were stinging it and swooped down at the wizards.

_**HPC**_

Harry saw the dragon diving at the wizards and acted without thinking. Pointing his hand at the dragon he shouted the first spell he could think of.

"Chains of ice that are so cold, this dragon of flame you will now hold."

There was a soft rustle of mist. Thick chains of ice suddenly bound the dragon tightly, pulling its wings out straight. Harry knew the chains wouldn't hold it for long. He had to think fast. Reaching out with his mind, Harry began to pull power from the nearest ley lines. Above him, he heard the wizards shouting something.

"Stunners on three," one shouted. "One, two, three, stupefy," they shouted.

Over twenty jets of red light slammed into the dragon. At the exact moment the stunning spells left the wizards wands, Harry unleashed his own spell.

A blast of raw magic exploded from his fingertips and sped towards the dragon. The magic looped around the stunners catching them all in a web of arcane energy before smashing into the dragon.

The dragon roared and twisted in midair as it fell. Its spiked tail lashed out smashing into Harry and sending him flying. The dragon crashed to earth, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

Harry flew through the air his arms and legs flailing uselessly. He felt weightless. _'This must be what it's like to fly without a broom,'_ he thought before slamming into the ground with a sickening crunch, and everything went black.


	13. ThirteenChapter 13

_**Thirteen**_

Dumbledore smiled in satisfaction as he sucked on a lemon drop. The events of the first task could not have gone better if he'd planned it. Harry was unconscious in the hospital wing, and Vivienne was distracted with his wellbeing. That meant she wouldn't be searching for who may or may not have potioned Lily for a while.

Now what was he going to do about Vivienne. She needed to be dealt with. He needed Harry under his control. The knowledge he obtained on Avalon could be crucial to the war that was coming. His musings were interrupted by a polite knock on the door.

"Enter," he called cheerfully.

James Potter strode confidently into the office, a smile upon his face. "You wanted to see me, Albus? You said you had an idea to get Harry back?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, James, I have a plan."

"What plan?" he asked eagerly. "How will you deal with Vivienne? She seems prepared for everything."

The smile that twisted Dumbledore's face was anything but Grandfatherly. It was as cold and sharp as the blade of a knife. "Let me deal with her," he whispered.

_**HPC**_

Voldemort smiled as he watched Wormtail leave the room. He felt his magic flowing through him. He raised a hand, and clicked the fingers.

Flames blazed up in the hearth. Warmth spread throughout the room. Voldemort sighed in contentment. He raised his scaly hands to eye level and flexed the fingers. He watched the movement mesmerized. He marveled at the feeling of the tendons stretching, the muscles bending and flexing. He felt stronger than he had in thirteen years. _'It is only when you have lost your body that you learn to truly appreciate it,'_ he thought to himself. _'Soon, I will return far more terrible that I was before. I just need a few more ingredients.'_

Shaking off the thoughts of his knew body, he turned to the heavy book on the conjured table before him and flipped a page. As he read, he sighed in satisfaction. Branding his followers with the dark mark was ingenious of him. As long as one of his followers lived he had an anchor to this world, and even better, he had made contingency plans if his death Eaters were ever wiped out.

'_Fools, they think I am dead, but I will show them just how wrong they are. Lord Voldemort will never die._' As with so many people, the wizarding world didn't know what was best for it, but he would save it. They may call him a monster, but they would thank him when the wizards were the only race left on the planet.

"Soon," he hissed. "Soon, the muggles will be gone and wizards can take their rightful place as the superior race." There was a knock on the doorway. "Yes," Voldemort called.

A tall figure walked into the room. Its form was indistinct, almost ethereal. It seemed to absorb the heat and light from the fire, so that the atmosphere of the room grew noticeably darker and more depressing.

The figure glided towards Voldemort. It stopped before him, and simply hovered there, waiting.

"Ah," Voldemort said. "You made it."

"Yes," the figure whispered bowing before him. The voice coming from the shadows sounded as if wind and fog had learned to speak. "I live to serve, master."

Voldemort smiled. "Yes, you do," he said lazily. "Have you found a way in?"

The figure nodded. "It is only temporary, but it will be enough time to retrieve him."

"Good, go and get him. Bring him back here."

The figure bowed even lower, its head almost touching the floor. "As you command," it whispered. Turning, it floated out of the room.

_**HPC**_

Poppy Pomfrey believed after almost thirty years healing the students of Hogwarts she'd seen everything. She'd seen students come in with bones broken, missing, internal injuries that would have seen a muggle hospitalized for months, and worse. However, the Potter boy was something else entirely.

When he'd been brought in to her infirmary, Madam Pomfrey had believed he would be in her care for at least a week. His injuries were just too severe to heal in a matter of days. However, she had been mistaken. How was she going to explain this to Lily and James?

"How is he?" Lily asked as she entered the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey jumped. She hadn't heard the younger woman come in. She turned to her, and frowned slightly. "Something is really wrong here, Mrs. Potter," she said sternly.

"Oh? What has happened? Should we call ST. Mungos?"

"No," Madam Pomfrey said slowly, and that is the problem."

"Huh?"

"Your son is healing faster that I can explain. I showed you the list of injuries when he was brought in. His ribs were nearly crushed. I had no idea how I was going to fix such an injury. I cast the strongest bone knitting charm I could, but I didn't expect any fantastic results."

"What happened?"

"See for yourself," Madam Pomfrey said waving her wand. A three dimensional diagram of Harry's ribs appeared floating above his prone form.

"They look fine to me," Lily said after examining the diagram closely.

"Exactly!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "The ribs are healed entirely, and look at this?" She waved her wand again, and a diagram of Harry's skull appeared floating above his head. "He had a crack here," she said pointing to the upper left hand side of Harry's head, "but as you can see, that's healed as well."

Lily was frowning now. "So what is the problem, Madam Pomfrey? My son is healing quicker than normal. I would consider this a good thing, if a little unusual. It's not exactly unheard of for magic to aid in a wizards healing."

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "The problem is that I have never seen anything like this, ever. Magic will heal wizards, but not this rapidly."

"Is there any other injuries?"

Madam Pomfrey gestured with her wand. Glowing lines spread over Harry's body. "He has a broken leg, a collapsed lung, and a cracked sternum, but the lung is already healing itself. If it continues to mend at its current rate it'll be completely healed by tonight."

"So are you going to fix his leg?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said slowly. "I performed the same bone knitting charm I used on his ribs. Now," she continued staring at Lily. "Do you have any idea how he is healing so quickly?"

Lily opened her mouth with no idea what to say. How could she explain something that she didn't understand herself? She was saved from answering by the sound of the hospital wing door opening and then closing quietly. She turned to see Vivienne walking calmly towards them.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Madam Pomfrey is concerned because he seems to be healing far faster than is usual."

"Indeed?" Vivienne said stepping closer to the bed. She looked down at Harry and smiled softly. "Well," she said almost too quietly for the other two to hear. "It looks like Puck was right after all."

"Pardon?" Madam Pomfrey said sharply. "Do you know what is happening to Mr. Potter?"

Vivienne turned to the healer. Lily distinctly saw her eyes glowing brightly as she made eye contact with the healer. "Go back to your office," she said slowly and clearly. "You will not speak of this to anyone."

Without another word, Madam Pomfrey turned and went back into her office, closing the door behind her. "What did you do," Lily hissed.

"What I had to," Vivienne hissed back. "She was beginning to notice things that we couldn't explain."

"So you mind raped her?"

"Of course not," Vivienne growled. "I used my compulsion gift on her. It's a very limited form of mind control."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can order her not to speak of anything she has seen regarding Harry, but I cannot modify her memory. Wish I could though," Vivienne continued. "It'd make things so much easier.

"If you have the gift of compulsion," Lily began slowly. "Why didn't you just… I don't know… order her to kill herself?"

Vivienne glared at Lily. "Regardless of what you seem to think, we are not monsters. We do not spill blood unless we have to. Besides," she continued more softly. "My gift doesn't extend that far. I cannot order someone to take their own life, and I wouldn't even if I could. Such an act, in this instants, would be naught but cold blooded murder."

Lily was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "I have misjudged you. I don't really know what it means to be fae, and I only have wizarding stories to go buy."

Vivienne nodded. "I do understand," she said gently. She leaned back in her chair, suddenly looking very tired. "The histories are always written by the victors even if they never technically won."

"I don't understand," Lily said quietly.

Before Vivienne could respond, the hospital wing doors opened again. Both women turned to see Ginny Weasley hurrying inside.

"How is he?" she panted. "Is there any change from yesterday?"

Vivienne smiled. She approached Ginny with her hand held out. "We have not been formally introduced. I am Vivienne, queen of Avalon, and godmother to Harry. You must be Ginny. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Ginny shook Vivienne's hand numbly, her eyes never leaving Harry's still form. "How is he?" she asked again, and then realizing what she'd done, blushed. "I'm sorry… I…"

Vivienne laughed. The sound was like wind chimes tinkling in a soft breeze. "You have a one track mind don't you," she said between laughs. "Do not be embarrassed, Ginny. I am not offended. To answer your question, he is fine. He's healing well and should wake up in a few days."

"Did you use Elven magic on him?" Ginny whispered.

Vivienne clicked her fingers. Three squashy armchairs appeared beside Harry's bed. She gestured for Ginny to sit and then called Lily over. "Harry told you what I am?"

Ginny nodded a little uncertainly. "Yes, he's been teaching me wandless magic."

"Has he?" Vivienne asked gently. "That is good, and how are you progressing?"

Ginny shuffled her feet. "Not as well as I'd like," she muttered sullenly. "Harry makes it look so easy, but I have trouble lifting a trunk into the air without a wand."

Vivienne placed a hand on the girls shoulder. "You will get it," she said gently. "You have been using a wand for years. Now you are training your magic to work without a wand. It is only natural that it would take time for your magic to adapt."

"Do fae ever use wands?"

"Only for the creation of wards."

"Are they made the same way that wizard's wands are?"

"More or less."

Ginny decided to change the subject. Leaning forward, she looked at Vivienne curiously. "So, how is Elven magic different from wizard magic?"

Vivienne leaned back in her chair. "Our magic needs no incantation for simple actions. However, for bigger spells we need to speak at least one word."

"Are you talking about a trigger word for a spell? Isn't that dangerous?" Lily asked.

"Not exactly," Vivienne said. "Our magic is intent based. We have to will something to happen before it does. It's not just a matter of saying a magic word. We have to want the magic to do what we say. Let me show you."

Standing up, Vivienne conjured a glass of water and placed it on the table beside Harry's bed. She stared fixedly at the glass and said softly, "move." Nothing happened.

"Okay," Ginny said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Vivienne held up a hand. "Watch." She pointed a finger at the glass. "Move," she repeated. The glass slid across the table and stopped right at the edge.

"Do you need the hand movements?" asked Lily.

"Not really, but it does make directing our magic easier. If I tried to use will alone I might have pushed the table instead of the glass."

Their conversation was interrupted by a groan from Harry's bed. They all turned towards the sound and their eyes widened.

A bright blue glow incased Harry from head to foot. Vivienne and Lily both stood up and hurried over to him.

"What's happening to him," Lily gasped.

"It's the change," Vivienne murmured. "His Elven blood is awakening."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked quietly.

"You are an elf. Harry is your son. That means he has Elven blood."

"So what does that mean?" Lily asked. "Will he be an elf?"

Vivienne nodded. "He is what is known as a half-born or a half-Fae if you want to be technical"

"So what does that mean for him, and what about Brian? Will he go through this change as well?"

"I do not know," Vivienne said softly. "Honestly, I do not think so."

"Why not, why won't Brian go through the change?"

"Brian is one of the rare few that has a recessive elven gene. The child only goes through a change when the elven gene is dominant. He may live longer than most wizards, but he will not be an elf."

"What does being a half-elf mean for Harry?" Ginny asked.

"There aren't a lot of differences between a half-elf and a pure-blooded elf. Harry will probably be broader of shoulder than the full blooded elves, and he may grow a beard, but that will be all. Regardless, all half-born are treated like pure blooded elves. The Fae, at least the Fae of the Unseelie court and Avalon, don't discriminate against half-blooded Fae."

"So will Harry be immortal?" Lily asked.

Before Vivienne could respond, the hospital wing door crashed open. All three spun to face the door.

In walked Albus Dumbledore and James Potter.

"Oh, not now," Vivienne groaned casting a look back at Harry's bed. The glow around him had solidified into a crystalline cocoon. "Could they have picked a worse time to show up here?"

"I agree," the Erlking rumbled appearing right beside them. "It was very rude of them to pick this time. Why, I bet they did it just to annoy you."

Vivienne glared at him. "You're starting to sound a lot like Puck."

The Erlking clapped a hand to his chest. "You wound me Madam," he said dramatically. "I have been pierced to the heart."

Seeing the giant appear beside Vivienne, Dumbledore and James stopped walking. "What are you doing here?" Dumbledore sounded tired.

"Oh, Albus," the Erlking rumbled. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"No, I am not."

"Answer him, Fae," James spat. "We have no time for your games."

"First, tell me why you are here?"

"We are here to inform Vivienne that James Potter is pressing charges of kidnapping and is filing for custody of Harry to be returned to him at once."

"Why?" the Erlking growled all pretense of humor gone. "Why do you want the boy back so badly? I thought that you wanted to focus all your attention on Brian?"

"That is none of your concern," Dumbledore said coldly. "We have answered your question, now it is your turn. Why are you here?"

"I am here to reverse the spells that my wife cast upon our daughter."

"Your daughter isn't here," James sneered. "Why don't you go back to your forest, wild king?"

The temperature in the infirmary dropped suddenly. "Do not tempt me little man," the Erlking growled. "Or I shall crush you like the bug that you are. What Lily saw in you I cannot fathom? Although, I guess the choice was between you and the Death Eater." The Erlking tilted his head and stared at James as if he was looking at a particularly interesting bug. "Personally, I do not see much difference."

James drew his wand. "I am no Death Eater. I do not murder and rape others for sport."

The Erlking stepped towards the shorter man. "This may be true, but you are still a racist bigot. You continue to bring up a war that was fought hundreds of years before your birth. Have you not learned that those who live in the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes?"

"Enough!" Dumbledore roared. "I will not have any more fighting in my castle."

"This is not your castle, old man. You are merely the headmaster, not the owner."

Dumbledore drew his own wand and pointed it at the Erlking. "I will not allow the fighting to continue," he growled.

The Erlking eyed the wand disdainfully. "Wizards have fallen so far from what they once were. There was a time that wizards needed no wand to wield their magic, but alas, that time has passed."

"Your daughter is not here," Dumbledore said. "Leave this castle and search for her elsewhere."

Faster than either wizard saw, the Erlking stretched forth his hand and unleashed a wave of red energy. Both men crumpled to the ground and lay still.

"You found a way?" Lily said excitedly not seeming to notice what had been done to her husband. "You know how to remove the glamour on me?"

"Yes, I just need one thing."

There was a blinding flash of flame. Fawkes settled on Lily's shoulder.

"What is he doing here?"

"The Erlking gulped. "I am really sorry about this.'

James struggled back to his feet, blinking dazedly. "What is Fawkes doing here?"

"You'll see, but first," the Erlking stepped forward and punched James in the face. James fell back to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.

Fawkes wrapped his wings around Lily. "What is he…?" She was cut off as red and gold flames engulfed her.

Ginny and Vivienne hurried forward. "Lily," Vivienne shouted.

"Wait," the Erlking snapped. "Don't touch her yet."

The flames grew brighter, and sparks crackled around the phoenix and young woman. The phoenix let out a musical cry and lifted into the air. As he rose higher, they could all see a single strand of magic stretching from the flames covering Lily to the tail of the bird.

They all watched breathlessly as the flames died away. A glowing sheet of magic seemed to peel away from Lily. Vivienne's eyes widened.

"Morgana," she gasped.

The woman standing before them blinked. Her golden green eyes stared at them for several seconds. Her black robes had been burned away and she stood before them as naked as the day she'd been born. Casually, she waved a hand. A silk gown appeared around her covering her from head to foot. She brushed her blood red hair out of her face and smiled at them.

"I feel good," she murmured, her voice as soft as the mew of a kitten. "I feel much stronger than I did before."

The Erlking stared at his daughter. "You are beautiful, my daughter," he rumbled. "You look just like your Mother."

A groan from behind them drew their attention. They turned to see Harry glowing even more brightly.

The crystalline cocoon had melted away. They could all here the creaking sound coming from the bed. As they watched, Harry began growing taller.

Lily stepped closer. Without knowing why, she reached out and placed a hand on Harry's forehead. The glow around him brightened. Lily could feel the drain on her magic, but she kept her hand where it was. After a moment, the glow faded and Lily removed her hand.

She stumbled and wood have fallen had not the Erlking caught her. "Are you alright, Lilith?"

"Yes," she said yawning. "I just need some rest."

"Then rest here," he said carrying her to a bed. "Harry will wake by morning."

There was a shuffling sound from behind them, followed by a grunt of effort. Vivienne and the Erlking turned to see Dumbledore and James struggling to their feet. "Where is Lily," James demanded wiping the blood from his face.

The Erlking frowned. "I must be getting old. They didn't used to get up after I hit them."

_**HPC**_

Puck opened his eye and looked around the room. It looked empty, but he knew better. Someone was there with him.

"Whose there," he called out pushing himself into a sitting position.

_**HPC**_

"I asked you a question," James shouted. "Where is my wife?"

"Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey snapped running out of her office. "I have tolerated yours and the Headmasters shouting in my infirmary long enough, out, now."

James opened his mouth to protest, but the little healer drew her wand and with a wave, both James and the headmaster were hurled out of the room, landing hard on the stone floor of the corridor. Turning back to the occupants of the room, she gestured with her wand and the hospital wing doors shut with a crash.

"Are any of you injured," she asked the remaining people briskly. She seemed to not be bothered by the Erlking's appearance at all.

"No mam," Vivienne said respectfully.

"That's good then," she said turning back towards her office. "If you keep it down you may all stay with Mrs. Potter and Harry through the night." At the door to her office she stopped and turned back to Vivienne. "Oh and my lady, please don't attempt to cast spells upon me again. I will not breathe a word of Harry Potter's changes, I promise you."

Startled, Vivienne watched the healer go into her office and close the door. What did she know?

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked looking from Vivienne to the closed door.

"I don't know," Vivienne murmured. "I just don't know."

_**HPC**_

Puck stared around the room wildly. "Who are you? Show yourself." A flicker of movement drew his attention.

He turned and saw a figure standing beside his bed. It appeared to be composed of pure darkness. Puck gulped. Something was very wrong here. "Who are you?" he said.

The figure gave no answer. A hand appeared out of the darkness. It looked normal, accept that it seemed to be shifting and changing as he looked at it. One moment it was a hand. The next it was a claw, then a tentacle. Puck tensed as the figure stepped forward, reaching out with the hand, but all it did was brush its fingers gently across his forehead.

Puck was confused: Then pain exploded in the socket where Puck's left eye had been. He fell back on the bed, screaming in agony. The last thing Puck saw before the darkness claimed him, was the figure reaching towards him with whip thin arms. He felt himself being lifted from his bed, and then the darkness swept over him.

A/N I don't usually write these, but I wanted to inform you all that I will be changing the title to Harry Potter: Half-born.

Please read and review.


	14. Fourteen Chapter 14

_**Fourteen**_

James leaned forward, staring fixedly at the plump little man across from him. "Can you do it?"

Cornelius Fudge was used to bribery. Hell, it was practically a rule to be dishonest if you were a politician. That being said, there were those you expected to come to you and attempt a bribe to get what they wanted, and there were those who were honest and attempted to get things done legally. They were the ones that Fudge liked to call, "Stupid Idiots,' and the man sitting across from him fit perfectly into that group, until now.

Cornelius stared at James Potter thoughtfully. Yes, he could do what Potter wanted, and it might be handy to have the support of one of the so-called light families someday, but he would have to handle this carefully. He mustn't seem too eager. That wouldn't do at all. "I don't know, James," he said slowly. "You are aware that your wife could be arrested for even speaking to one of the Fae? It is against our laws for a reason, you know."

James winced. He'd known that this might come up. Lily couldn't go to jail. Brian needed a Mother. "Yes, but she didn't know that the woman was a Fae. She merely thought she was speaking to a powerful and extremely gifted witch."

"That is true," Fudge said. "Also, if I remember correctly, the Fae came to her in a dream, if what Dumbledore told me was correct. It is highly possible that she thought it was a dream, and that is why I am not charging her with a crime' However, this, Vivienne will need to be charged with kidnapping, and for speaking to a magical citizen of Great Britain. We cannot let one of 'them,' break one of our laws."

James smiled coldly. This was more than he could have hoped for. If they could pull this off, then Vivienne would be out of their way for good. He was so glad that he'd come to Fudge instead of going to Madam Bones, head of the department of Magical law Enforcement. Fudge knew how to get things done. "I was hoping you would say that."

_**HPC**_

Puck groaned. He slowly opened his eye. The dim light of the room nearly blinded him. He blinked. Something was different, or not different. He blinked again. Slowly, he raised his hand and touched the left side of his face. He felt his eyes, yes his eyes widen. It was back. His left eye had been restored as if it had never been gone. How did this happen? An image of the dark figure caused him to sit bolt upright in bed. He stared wildly around the room. Where was it? Had he dreamed that thing? _'No,_' he thought. _'I am sane and mostly rational. It was no dream. That thing was here.'_ Looking down at the floor, Puck saw a blackened scorch mark in the carpet. It had been here, on Avalon, which should have been impossible. No dark creature could step foot on this land.

Puck leapt out of bed. With a thought, a pair of faded blue jeans, and a T-shirt appeared on the bed. He quickly got dressed and headed for the door. He had to get back to Harry and Vivienne. They needed to know what had happened.

_**HPC**_

A tall figure stood in the corner of the room. That had been close. If she hadn't had a feeling, Puck would have been taken to Voldemort.

Leaning back against the wall, she sighed in relief. What had that thing been anyway? Avalon needed to be protected. Vivienne was away tending to Harry. She had stopped this kidnapping, but that didn't change the fact that something had entered Avalon, something pure evil. That was supposed to be impossible. What was she going to do about it? Was it time to reveal herself at last?

'_No,'_ she decided. It wasn't time for that yet, but she would watch over Avalon until Vivienne returned. She could do that much.

_**HPC**_

Voldemort was in a towering rage. "What do you mean it failed?"

Wormtail cringed. "Master," he whimpered. "I do not know why it failed. Something killed it."

"Killed it," Voldemort shrieked. "Do you hear yourself? It was one of the dementor lords, the oldest and most powerful of those beasts. Have you forgotten that nothing can kill dementors, especially not the elders?"

Wormtail shrank lower under his master's tirade. "Master, I only know what I have seen. The only thing left of the creature was its head. It appeared in the front room only a few moments ago.

Pain exploded through Wormtails body. He fell to the floor, twitching and jerking spasmodically. After a few seconds, Voldemort lifted his hand. Wormtail laid there, bloody foam dripping from his mouth. He felt as if every muscle and bone had been scraped raw with a dull knife.

Voldemort sat in his chair, panting from the effort of casting the curse. It was looking he'd placed a spell upon the dementor that would return it here in the event of its failure. He'd never thought the spell would be returning a corpse to him, however. "Bring me the head, now," Voldemort hissed.

Wormtail scrambled to his feet, and stumbled from the room. A few seconds later, he was back, carrying a severed head in his arms. He placed the head before his master, and waited breathlessly to see what Voldemort would do.

Voldemort leaned over the head, and examined it carefully. The skin was dry almost to the point of desiccation. It was drawn so tightly against the bones it had begun splitting, revealing a dirty yellow skull. "It is like the life was sucked right out of it," he muttered. His eyes stopped moving when he looked at the dementor lord's eyes.

Most dementors didn't have eyes, merely blank sockets covered with skin, but dementor lords were different. As the oldest and strongest of their kind, they had grown eyes at some point. A cold chill went down Voldemort's spine as he looked at the eyes, or rather eye.

The right eye was there, a cold black marble staring up at him; however, the left eye was gone.

The black eye was still there, but it was shriveled. It appeared to have shrunk from the size of a large marble to the size of a raison. Tentatively, Voldemort poked the damaged eye. At his touch, the eye crumbled into dust.

"What could've done that," Wormtail said staring fixedly at the head.

"I do not know," Voldemort whispered, "but I want it captured. If it can do that to one of the oldest dementors, think of what it can do to wizards. I want that power for myself."

Wormtail said nothing, merely listened to his master speak. What if this thing killed his master? What would he do then? _'No,'_ he thought. _'I mustn't think like that. My master is the greatest wizard alive. He can capture whatever this thing is._

Voldemort watched his servant closely. "Listen to me, Wormtail," he said softly. "It has become clear to me that we cannot hope to capture one of the Fae for long." He drew a silver knife about a foot long from behind his back, "so this is what we shall do."

_**HPC**_

James Potter strode down the halls of Hogwarts, feeling more confident than he had in weeks. Following him was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of magic, and Albus Dumbledore, chief of the wizarding courts and headmaster of Hogwarts. Stopping outside the hospital wing, he kicked open the door and walked in. The first thing he saw was Lily and Vivienne sitting beside Harry's bed. There was no sign of the giant. James breathed a sigh of relief. That would make things a lot easier.

"Vivienne," he called in his most authoritative voice. "I am here to press charges of kidnapping against you."

Vivienne turned to James, raising one eyebrow. "On what grounds to you base these charges?"

Albus Dumbledore stepped forward. "You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Harry James Potter on the 31st of July, 1985."

Vivienne blinked. She hadn't expected Dumbledore to try this so soon. She threw a look over her shoulder at Harry's sleeping form. _'Damn,'_ she thought. _'Puck and I had planned for this, but I didn't think Dumbledore would try this so soon. What am I going to do now?" _

As if in answer to her thoughts, there was a rustle of air, and Puck appeared standing right beside her. Luckily for Vivienne, he'd appeared in the form of a nineteenth century British gentleman, complete with silk top hat and oak walking stick. He took one look at Dumbledore and James, and turned to Vivienne.

He bowed slightly. "Jacob Redcap at your service, madam," he said affecting an upper class accent. "You did summon me, correct?"

Vivienne blinked, and stifled a laugh. She wondered vaguely how Puck had gotten here, but pushed that aside for later. "Yes," she said slowly. "I require those documents that you drafted about fifteen years ago."

"At once, Madam," Puck saluted smartly and clicked his fingers. A stack of parchment appeared in his hands, which he passed to Vivienne. Vivienne glanced quickly through the sheets of parchment. Nodding, she handed the stack to Dumbledore.

"What is this?" Dumbledore asked his stomach sinking.

"Those," Vivienne began, "Are documents stating that if Lily was ever under any type of potions or enchantment, I was to take Harry to a safe place, immediately."

"WHAT," James shouted. "How dare you. Lily has never been under the effects of any mind altering potions or enchantments."

Vivienne's smile was raiser thin. "I never said that the potions and or enchantments were mind altering, Mr. Potter."

James's mouth snapped shut. Dumbledore cleared his throat. The twinkle in his eyes had dimmed, but was not gone.

"You did of course file these documents with Gringots? If you didn't, I'm afraid that these," he gestured to the sheets of parchment he held, "are not worth the parchment they are printed on."

Vivienne looked at Puck/Jacob, expectantly. "We did file them with Gringots, Jacob?"

"Of course madam," Puck replied. "They were filed on November 1st, 1980."

Cornelius Fudge spoke up for the first time. "We only have your word that Mrs. Potter was under any sort of potion or enchantment. Also, why did you not file these documents with the ministry?" He smiled charmingly at Vivienne. "Besides," he said silkily. "How do we know you didn't potion her yourself?"

"First, I did not file these documents with the ministry because I didn't want them to get 'misplaced.' Secondly, I have only had contact with Lily three times before this year. Once, when I came to her and told her that I could help her have a child. Again, when she made me Harry's godmother, and lastly, when I came to take Harry.'

"You could have done something to her any of those times," Fudge blustered. "Besides, your appointment as Harry's godmother is illegal. The ministry doesn't recognize it. You are Fae; therefore, you hold no rights in the wizarding world."

Vivienne felt her stomach drop. They were right. She only had one more card to play. "My appointment was accepted by magic. I trust that is good enough for your ministry?"

Fudge scowled. The creature was right, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. "We haven't heard Lily's side of the story. I want to know if she signed those documents that Dumbledore is holding."

"I did," Lily spoke up for the first time. "You must remember, minister. Voldemort was alive during that time. I wanted to insure that Harry would be protected should Voldemort attempt to control me."

"What about Brian?" Dumbledore asked. "Didn't you want him protected as well?"

"Of course," Lily said, "I suggested the same agreement to James for Brian, but he didn't think it was necessary."

Dumbledore looked at James. "Is this true?"

James stared back helplessly. "Albus, I honestly can't remember if she mentioned anything like this or not. I can tell you that I would've probably seen it as unnecessary. After all, we all can fight off the imperius curse. What other mind control spell could there be?"

Dumbledore frowned. This complicated things. He did not think that Lily had been aware of the documents, but as long as she was vouching for Vivienne, there was nothing he could do about it. However, he still had two more cards to play.

"You still haven't produced proof that Lily was under any sort of enchantment."

"Ahem! I believe that I can help with that."

They all turned to see Madam Pomfrey coming out of her office. She walked straight up to Dumbledore, and thrust a piece of parchment at him.

"They are faint," she began, "but there is still residue of mind altering magic on Lily. I did not see any potions, but it is possible that the potions were flushed out of her system by now."

As he stared at the parchment, fear began to fill him. There it was undisputable evidence of magical enchantments. The only good thing was that the signatures were so faint that it would be impossible to determine who cast the spells. "Very well," Dumbledore said slowly. "Your contract prevents us from pressing charges, but we can file to have custody of Harry returned to the Potters."

"I would be happy to return custody of Harry to Lily, but not James."

"This isn't up for negotiation," Dumbledore said sternly. He turned to James. "I assume you will be filing for custody?"

"Of course Albus."

"I would be happy to represent you in this matter. I'm sure that Cornelius would be willing to judge this hearing in my place."

"Of course, Dumbledore, of course," Fudge simpered.

Dumbledore turned and bowed to Vivienne. "I shall see you in court, my lady."

Dumbledore beckoned to James and the minister, and they walked out of the room. At the door, James turned to look back at Lily.

"Are you coming Lily?"

Lily shook her head. "I am staying with Harry until he wakes."

"Brian misses you," James said scowling.

"Tell Brian I will see him later."

James nodded stiffly and followed the others out of the room.

_**HPC**_

As she watched the three men leave the room, Vivienne sighed in relief. "That was close," she whispered.

"I assume that you didn't know that was coming?" Lily asked.

"No, I thought he may try something, but I wasn't expecting that."

"How long have you had those documents drawn up?"

"We drew them up in case Dumbledore tried to charge Vivienne with kidnapping, but they were not submitted to Gringots until September first of this year. Luckily for us, the goblins helped us backdate them."

Vivienne turned to Puck. "We'll need to plan our court case, but we really don't have a leg to stand on, not without making both James and Lily look neglectful."

Lily looked thoughtful. "I'll see if I can't narrow down some of the potions that may or may not have been in my system. The Unspeakables had access to magic that not even Dumbledore was aware of."

"Good," Vivienne said. "It is a good thing that you were able to cast a notice me not charm on your changes, but that won't hold forever. I need to begin teaching you glamour. It will be a lot more effective than a spell that can be negated." Vivienne turned to Puck. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Puck looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm fixed, haven't you noticed?"

Vivienne studied him intently. Her eyes widened when she saw his left eye. "How?" she asked finally. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, but I thought no spell could fix your eye?"

"So did I, but apparently, I was wrong. This dark thing tried to kidnap me. I passed out and when I woke up, I had two eyes again."

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Slow down," Vivienne exclaimed. "Start from the beginning and tell me what happened."

Puck took a deep breath. "I woke up a little while ago. I had this feeling that I wasn't alone. I can't explain it any better than that. I looked around as well as I could, but I couldn't see anything, then I noticed this dark thing walking towards me. It looked humanoid, or at least as if it had two arms, two legs, and a head, but it looked like it was made of darkness."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"I could see the parts of the thing outlined in darkness, but I couldn't see anything else."

"What happened?" Vivienne asked.

"I saw a hand. It didn't look rotten or anything. It just looked like an ordinary man's hand. It touched me, and the socket where my left eye was hurt. I passed out, and when I woke up, I had two eyes again."

Vivienne scratched her chin. "We'll need to think about this. It sounds like some sort of dark creature tried to kidnap you from Avalon. That should be impossible. I need to get back there, but I want to be here for Harry when he wakes up."

"Go," Puck said. "I'll stay here with Lily and help explain things to Harry when he awakes."

"Are you sure? What if you are discovered?"

"Don't worry I'm used to hiding in plain sight. Go check on things at home."

Hesitating for a moment, Vivienne leaned over and kissed Puck on the forehead, causing him to blush. "Thank you," she said softly. She kissed Harry as well, gave Lily a quick hug, and headed for the door. Before leaving, she looked back at Puck. "You are sure you can handle things?"

"Go!" Puck waved a hand at her. "We'll be fine."

With one last look, Vivienne turned and left the room. "Now, we wait," Puck muttered. He pulled out a pack of playing cards. Turning to Lily, he held up the cards. "Strip poker?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You do realize my son is lying right in front of us, right?"

"I'm not his Dad."

"And I am not taking off my clothes for someone I barely know."

"Damn," Puck grumbled putting the playing cards away.

Lily patted his shoulder. "Ask Vivienne to play with you, I'm sure she wouldn't object."

"OO, I like that idea, but no. She'd probably freeze it solid and then snap it off."

"I meant play cards."

"Oh."

_**HPC**_

Brian was restless. His Mother hadn't been to see him in days. What was the big deal about his brother anyway? Plenty of students ended up in the hospital wing. His Mum didn't have to stay with his stupid brother, constantly. _'Why did the stupid Fae have to bring him back to Hogwarts, anyway? Maybe it's time to talk to Dad about the potions again. After all, Harry had Vivienne. He doesn't need my Mother too.'_

Allowing his mind to drift, Brian's eyes settled on Ginny bent over a table. He smiled as her red hair caught the firelight. She may be a dark witch, but she was cute. Maybe it was time he gave her some of his attentions. She should be grateful. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. Standing up, he made his way over to Ginny.

"Hi Ginny," he said rubbing her shoulder. "Do you mind if I interrupt your work?"

Ginny looked up, scowling. "Yes, I do mind, now go away."

"Don't be like that," Brian said. "Look, I'm sorry that I said all those things, but people change, you know."

"In two months?" Ginny asked skeptically.

Brian scowled. This conversation wasn't going at all like he planned. "Look Ginny, he began. "I know you like me and I was thinking that maybe we could go to Hogsmeade together, what do you think?"

Ginny turned back to her work. "No," she said shortly.

Brian glared at the back of her head. "Why not?"

"Because you are a jerk, a bully, and a braggart. Are those good enough reasons?"

"Why you," Brian went for his wand, but Ginny was faster.

"STUPEFY!" she shouted.

Brian was struck square in the chest by the bolt of red light. He flew backwards, and crashed into the wall behind him. Ginny looked around at the silent common room for a few moments, before putting her wand away and turning back to her essay. She wanted to get this done, so she could go visit Harry.

_**HPC**_

Harry groaned. He felt like he'd been kicked down a flight of stairs. Every bone hurt. Where was he anyway?

"Harry? Are you awake?"

Was that his Mum? What was she doing here?

"Come on, Harry, wake up."

Puck? Was that Puck? Wasn't he on Avalon? Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and looked around.

The first thing he saw was his Mother sitting beside the bed. "Hey sweetie," she said smiling. "It's good to have you awake."

Harry took in her blood red hair and golden green eyes. "What happened to you and how long have I been here?" Harry croaked. "Where's Vivienne?"

"Why I look this way is a long story. As for Vivienne, she had to return to Avalon," Lily said leaning forward. "You've been here for about a week."

"What'd I miss?" Harry sat up in his bed. "Did anything exciting happen while I was out?"

Ginny, who'd been sitting a little farther away, stood up and pushed Harry back on the bed gently. She looked at Lily and Puck. Harry felt his stomach clench. "What?" "Did something bad happen?"

"We have a lot to catch you up on," Ginny said handing him a glass of water.

"Let us finish before you interrupt, alright?" Lily said gently. At Harry's nod, she began to explain what had happened while Harry was unconscious.

HPC

"So James is suing Vivienne for custody of me, Puck was going to be kidnapped, but escaped and somehow got his eye back, and I'm a half-elf now, is that about right?"

"Yes, that pretty much sums everything up."

Harry lay back on his bed. "So Mum, how do you like being an elf?"

_**HPC**_

The Erlking crept closer to the abandoned mansion. Here it was the place Puck had been attacked. He could sense the dark magic resonating from the building before him.

He'd never seen this Voldemort before. He'd been in Elphame when the sorcerer had been in power last time. Normally, he'd have kicked in the door and gone in ready to tear the evil creature to shreds, but this Voldemort knew sorcery, and that was worth being cautious. So how should he handle this? Should he contact Arrgante? No one knew he was here, and it was highly possible she would order him to leave this place, but they needed information. If he left, it was highly possible that Voldemort would move somewhere else, and they would have to search for his new hide-out.

He had to act now. They needed to know why Voldemort was so interested in the Fae. There was a rustling sound behind him.

The Erlking froze, listening intently. The rustling sound grew closer. He could hear short panting breaths behind him. Swiftly, the Erlking spun around.

The silver blade plunged deep into his stomach, causing him to grunt and double over in pain. He looked up at the short man with watery eyes that stood before him, grinning maniacally.

"Hello, giant," Wormtail said cheerfully. "My master thought you might show up. I am sorry about stabbing you, but Fae have such an annoying tendency to leave before we can question them."

The Erlking slowly lowered himself to the ground to keep from falling on the knife. "What do you want?" he croaked.

"Blood," Wormtail said simply. "My master has decided that Fae are too much trouble to capture. The secret of your immortality is in your blood. If my master adds your blood to the ritual he is creating, then he will grow even stronger."

The Erlking watched helplessly as the man stepped closer. The man took a small jar from his pocket and held it close to the wound on the Erlking's stomach. Blood dripped steadily into the jar.

When the jar was half full, Wormtail stood up. Screwing the lid back on the jar, Wormtail put the jar away and drew his wand. "I always wondered what this spell would do to one of the Fae. At full strength, you might be able to block it, but you aren't at full strength are you?"

Wormtail stepped back, and pointed his wand at the Erlking's heart. "Avada Kedavra."


	15. Fifteen Chapter 15

_**Fifteen**_

The Erlking lay sprawled upon the ground, staring sightlessly up at the night sky. At first glance, he appeared dead. However, if one looked closely, they would be able to see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Peter looked down at him, a sour expression on his face. He grunted. "Humph," it looks like you are able to survive a killing curse even weakened. Kneeling, he drew the knife out of the Erlking's stomach with a wet sucking sound. "It doesn't matter though," he said to the unconscious Fae. "I can kill you with this just as easily."

The grin on Wormtails face would have surprised his former friends. There was nothing weak or terrified in that smile. It was cold, excited, and cruel. Panting, he leaned closer to the Erlking. "I'm going to end you," he panted into the hunter's ear. "I will be the person to slay one of the faerie kings. I will be famous."

He raised the knife above his head. "Goodbye hunter," he said. He drove the knife down towards the Erlking's chest.

A hand closed on his wrist, stopping the knife's descent. "I don't think so," a voice said in his ear.

"What," Wormtail began.

"Shh," the strange woman said. "Go to sleep," she touched Wormtail's forehead. The small man slumped to the ground. The woman stood, a sudden breeze blowing her blood red hair away from her face.

She took a deep breath. She smelled the earthy smell of Fae and the coppery smell of spilled blood.

She knelt beside the Erlking. "What am I going to do with you," she said quietly. She examined the wound closely. It was deep, but not fatal. The intestine had not been pierced at any rate. Gently, she ran a finger along the wound. A thin line of blue light followed the path of her finger. The wound slowly closed. Next, she began to look at the effects of the killing curse.

Opening her second sight, she could see a faint green glow surrounding the Erlking's body. She frowned. It appeared the curse was still active. _'I have no idea how to deal with this. I need a Fae who is familiar with Death magic, but first I must insure that the rat doesn't warn his master. It would not do for us to lose Voldemort's location after all the Erlking went through to obtain it.'_

Turning to Wormtail, she placed a hand on his forehead. "To keep us from losing the trail, hide this memory behind a vail." A mist of light descended upon Wormtail and sank slowly into his body.

"You never did master memory spells, did you?" The woman turned to see the Erlking sitting up, clutching his stomach.

The woman hurried back to him and gently pushed him back down. "Your injuries are severe. Do not aggravate them anymore than necessary." She paused for a second and glanced behind her. "I have to get you out of here. Where do you want to go, Seelie court or Avalon?"

"Avalon," the Erlking growled. "Hurry, before the rat wakes up."

Before the woman could respond, the Erlking's eyes closed and his head dropped back to the ground. Sighing, she scooped the large Fae into her arms and stood. Casting one last look at the unconscious Wormtail, she vanished.

_**HPC**_

Peter sat up and looked around. He blinked. He was just outside the gates of Riddle manor, but how'd he get out here? He had a feeling that he had been doing something, but he couldn't remember what that could possibly be. Shrugging, he headed back to his master. He would think about this later. For now, his master needed him and he would not disappoint.

_**HPC**_

Hearing a rustling sound behind her, Vivienne turned away from her viewing pool. Her eyes widened.

An elf stood behind her. She was tall and supernaturally slender like most elves. Her skin was bronze, and her blood red hair fell to her waste. Her golden green eyes sparkled as she looked at Vivienne. She smiled, revealing small even teeth.

Morgana, she gasped. "I thought you were dead. Everyone thought you were dead. Where have you been?"

"That is a long story," Morgana said shortly. "I can explain later. For now, I need your help to healmy husband."

Vivienne stared at the Erlking lying in Morgana's arms. "How…" she began.

"Not right now," Morgana snapped. "We do not have the time."

Sighing in frustration, Vivienne turned away. "Come on, he has a room down the hall."

HPC

Voldemort raised the jar of liquid and watched the blood glisten in the firelight. "Well done, Wormtail. Keep it safe until the potion is ready, do you understand?"

"Of course, master," Wormtail said bowing.

_**HPC**_

Harry followed Ginny out of the hospital wing. No sooner had he stepped through the doors, than he was bombarded with sensory overload.

The roar of the students almost dropped him to his knees. The smells made him similtaniously hungry and sick. The buzz of magic along his skin felt like hundreds of bees stinging him at once. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to think of the past few days in the hospital wing.

_**HPC**_

Inside the hospital wing, everything had been muted. After his change, Harry had noticed that his hearing was far better than what it had been before. He could hear the muted roar of the other students even through the charms on the hospital wing, but it was distant, not unlike the sound of the ocean inside of a seashell. He could see a tiny ant crawling along the ceiling. Best of all, he could see magic. Waves and pulses of light emanated from every person and object around him. Some of the magic was forged into walls and beams of light. After a while, Harry realized that this must be what wards looked like.

He could see a person's aura without trying. He'd gotten lost one day staring at his Mother.

Her aura had been a bright robin's egg blue with little streaks of emerald green flickering through it. The way it pulsed along with her heart had been mesmerizing.

"What are you staring at Harry?" Vivienne asked appearing beside the bed.

"My Mum's aura," Harry said dreamily. "It's pretty."

Vivienne frowned. "That's your second sight. We'll need to teach you how to turn it off. You don't want it on all the time. It may drive you mad."

Vivienne had been as good as her word. She had taught Harry how to control his second sight. She had also taught him how to shield himself, so that he would not be overwhelmed by his other senses.

After she had finished Harry's instruction in that area, she'd begun teaching Harry and Lily Glamour.

"So is Glamour shape shifting or illusion," Lily had asked.

"A bit of both," Vivienne had said, changing into an exact double of professor McGonagall. "It is an art in which all Fae are masters, eventually," she continued managing somehow to copy McGonagall's Scottish accent exactly. "It cannot be called illusion, because it affects all five senses; taste, touch, hearing, smell, and of course, sight. Also, everything created by glamour is real while it exists."

"So it's shape-shifting," Harry said.

"It is a more advanced form of shape-shifting," Vivienne said resuming her normal form. She stroked her chin, thinking. "I guess you could call it reality warping on a very minor scale. As long as our glamour is in place, that is our form. We can imitate a species right down to the molecular level, which is how we can breed with other magical species. Our glamour cannot be removed by loss of consciousness or death."

"So you could breed with centaurs if you wanted," Lily had said, fascinated.

Vivienne had given her a funny look. "Why the hell would we want to do that? Now don't get me wrong, I am not prejudiced, but the Fae don't breed with species that are part animal. It's just not done. I only know of one Fae who did that, and trust me, it was not consensual.

Puck, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, shivered and began muttering to himself, while beating his head against the stone wall. "Puck no like horses. Puck kill horses. Horses bad. Puck no like hairy women." There was a retching sound and the smell of vomit filled the room."

Everyone stared at him. "Is he okay," Lily asked.

"He's fine," Vivienne said exasperated.

"What did he mean about horses?" Harry asked.

"Look up a figure called Loki in Norse mythology and you'll find out. Keep in mind, that not everything you read will be true." Now, back to your lesson," she said briskly.

For the next few days, Lily and Harry had practiced Glamour. Fortunately for Harry, who was still weak from the first task, glamour did not take much magic since it only affected the person and the immediate area around them. It was merely a matter of visualizing the appearance you wanted, and your magic did the rest. However, achieving the glamour was one thing. Keeping the glamour active was another thing entirely. Harry and Lily were not masters of the art yet: However, both were skilled enough to appear human for extended periods of time. Since they had not mastered it yet, Vivienne had given them each a stone that would maintain their current glamour when they grew tired.

_**HPC**_

Harry sighed in relief as his shields rose into place. Instantly, the ocean of sensation faded. He felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"I feel good," Harry said his grin nearly splitting his face. "I feel like I could take on the world and make it run home, crying to its Mummy."

Ginny laughed merrily. "I think you'd probably lose."

Harry shrugged, still grinning. "Probably, but the way I feel now, I'd definitely give it a run for its money." The two friends walked on in silence for a few minutes.

"Have you talked to your Mum yet?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

Harry shook his head. "I need to, but I don't know what to say, you know?"

"Honesty is the best policy," Ginny said wisely. "Don't hide anything from her."

Harry nodded. "You're right. It's just hard to think of how to tell her all this stuff, but I'll go talk to her later today, I promise."

"Good," Ginny said. "Come on, I'm hungry, let's go to breakfast." She kissed his cheek and walked away. Harry stared after her, a bemused expression on his face. _'I don't know what that was for, but I definitely appreciate it._' Smiling faintly, he followed Ginny to the Great hall for breakfast.

HPC

Later that morning, Harry sat in transfiguration. He was bored. The assignment, turning a rat into a goblet had been easy for him. He groaned as he heard professor McGonagall assign three feet of parchment on how the transfiguration could go wrong and why.

With Ginny's help, Harry had finally managed to write a satisfactory essay, but he was never going to get top marks for his writing skills. As McGonagall began to dismiss the class, Harry stood up to leave.

"Potter," McGonagall called. "A moment if you please." Harry stopped and turned to face her.

"Yes, Professor?" he asked. McGonagall didn't turn to him until the last student had left the room. "Potter," she began. "Part of the tri-wizard tournament is an event called the Yule Ball. The champions are expected to open the dance at the ball, so I suggest you find a partner." Having finished, McGonagall turned back to the paperwork on her desk.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed. "I don't dance."

McGonagall turned to face him, raising a single eyebrow. "For this ball, you do," she said sternly, "so I suggest you find a partner."

"But," Harry spluttered.

"That is all, Potter," McGonagall said loudly. "This is not up for discussion. Now, if you don't mind, I have some essays that need grading." She pointed to the door.

Reluctantly, Harry left the transfiguration classroom. What was he going to do now? How was he going to get out of this?

The truth was that Harry could not dance. Vivienne had tried over and over to teach him, with no luck. It wasn't that he couldn't be graceful. In battle, he was as swift and surefooted as a deer, but when it came to dancing, he was as uncoordinated and clumsy as an infant trying to walk for the first time.

Now, here he was, expected to open a dance at a ball in front of the entire school. _'Some example of the Fae I'll make,'_ he thought miserably. He turned and headed toward his Mothers quarters. He needed help, and Lily was the only one available.

_**HPC**_

Lily listened quietly as Harry explained about the Ball and his inability to dance. When he'd finished, she smiled at him. "So, you need me to teach you to dance?"

Harry shuffled his feet. "Yes," he said quietly. "I don't want to embarrass myself or my dance partner."

Lily grinned. "Would this dance partner have red hair and freckles?"

Harry blushed. "Can you help me?"

Lily reached across her desk and squeezed his hand. "Of course, I'd be happy to help."

Harry sighed in relief. "Thanks," he said gratefully. "I really owe you one."

Lily smiled softly. "That is what Mothers do. So," she said her smile widening. "When are you going to ask Ginny?"

Harry groaned. "Mum!"

_**HPC**_

Morgana stared down at the Erlking. Panic gnawed at her insides with sharp little teeth. The green light in the Erlking's aura was getting brighter, but that was impossible, wasn't it? She was sure that a wizards killing curse should've dissipated by now.

"Any change," Vivienne asked as she entered the room.

"No," Morgana said shortly. "I don't know what to do. There is only one person I know that can help, and I'm not sure how he'll like me revealing his secret."

Vivienne stepped up beside Morgana and looked down at the Erlking. The green light spreading through his aura was bad, but the slowing of his pulse and respiration was worse. "Do it," she said not looking at her companion. "Your friend can be mad all he wants later. For now, we need someone who can negate Death magic."

Morgana nodded. She turned away from the Erlking and spoke to the air. "Jack, Jack, winters child I call you. Jack, come forth and stand before us.

Vivienne blinked. "What does Jack Frost have to do with any of this?"

Before Morgana could respond, there was a soft rustling sound. An icy wind blew through the room, hard enough to make the blankets on the bed flutter.

"Morgana," Jack's deep baritone filled the room. "Why are you here, and what do you mean by summoning me? It is very rude. Besides, I ain't part of Avalon."

"I haven't ruled Avalon in a long time. Now, be silent and listen. It is time for you to drop your Glamour, Jack!"

Vivienne stared between her old friend and her long lost sister in confusion. "Jack?" she said. "What is she talking about?"

"No clue," Jack said. "Poor thing must be out of her mind. I think…" He broke off as Morgana grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the bed.

"Quit playing, Jack," she snapped. "The Erlking needs your help. Is your secret so important that you'd let someone die to keep it?"

Vivienne watched Jack's jaw clench. "Don't ask me to do this," he said through gritted teeth. "I have lived a life of peace for over sixteen hundred years. I don't want to be hunted again."

"You can stay on Avalon," Vivienne spoke up. "I don't know what this secret is, but whatever it is, I swear to let you remain on Avalon under my protection." A flash of light signified that magic had accepted her oath.

Jack smiled sadly. "You're a good girl," he said patting her shoulder, "but once you learn the truth you will hate me just like all the others do."

"Never," Vivienne said forcefully. "You are my friend and no secret can change that."

"We shall see," Jack said. "We shall see."

_**HPC**_

Harry was pacing outside the charms classroom. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous in his life. As the door opened, he seriously considered running.

The class exited the room laughing and joking animatedly. Ginny was one of the last to come out. She smiled when she saw Harry.

"Hi," she said brightly. "What are you doing here?"

Harry shifted his feet nervously. "Can we talk?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Sure," she said slowly.

The two walk down the hall until they reached an abandon classroom. They stepped inside and pushed the door halfway closed. "What is it?" Ginny asked turning to face him.

Harry took a deep breath. "The triwizard tournament has a yule ball. Since I'm a champion, I need to have a partner because I need to open the dance, so I was wondering if you wanted to come to the ball with me."

Ginny listened quietly. "You mean like a date," She asked.

"Well… that is… do you want it to be a date?"

Ginny smiled. "Harry, I'd love to go to the ball with you," she said gently.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Great!" he said, "Thanks Ginny."

Ginny laughed. "Okay, lover boy, it's almost dinner time. Let's go, I'm starving."

"You're always hungry," he teased.

"Shut up," she said lightly, punching his arm. "I'm a growing girl."

Harry followed Ginny out of the room. He stared at her arse as she walked ahead of him, a large smile on his face. _'See, this is why guys walk behind girls.'_

_**HPC**_

Two red heads watched Harry and Ginny walk away. One twin turned to the other. "Fred, I think this kid needs to be taken care of. No one messes with our sister."

"I agree, George. When do we take care of him?"

"Tonight," George said. "If he follows his normal pattern, he'll be up late working on his school work."

_**HPC**_

Later that night, Harry sat bent over a table. In front of him was a bowl of water. Slowly, Harry lowered the golden egg into the water. He dunked his head under the water and listened.

**Come seek us where our voices sound,**

**We cannot sing above the ground,**

**And while you're searching ponder this;**

**We've taken what you'll sorely miss,**

**An hour long you'll have to look,**

**And to recover what we took,**

**But past an hour, the prospect's black,**

**Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.**

Harry sat up, water dripping from his hair. _'So, that's the game they're playing.'_ He thought. _'I wonder if it'll be an object or a person that is taken. I'd like to think object, but this is the wizarding world.'_ He was broken out of his thoughts by a voice behind him.

"Potter!" they said.

Harry turned to see two redheads with their wands pointed at him. "Can I help you, Fred, George?"

The twins paused for a moment. "How do you know us?" George asked.

"Ginny, she told me all about you two. Honestly, you remind me of my friend Puck. He's a trickster to. Now, why are you pointing your wands at me?"

"We want you to leave our sister alone. You are the wrong sort for her."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The wrong sort? Who says?"

"Brian," George said. "He said that you were dangerous. We don't want our sister to get hurt because of you."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. "So, tell me, what is the right sort for Ginny?"

"She needs someone with morals, not someone raised by the Fae." Fred said. "She doesn't need someone like you."

"Brian would be a good match for her," George added.

"No," Harry said.

"What," Fred said.

"If Ginny doesn't want to be my friend anymore, then that is her choice, but I will not stop being her friend because you two want me to."

"Then we have a problem," George growled. Both wands rose, and two bolts of red light flew towards Harry.

Time seemed to slow. The red light appeared to crawl towards him, and he had more than enough time to draw his fake wand and step out of the way. With a wave of the fake wand, the two stunning spells stopped, hovering in the air.

The twins stared at Harry, eyes wide.

"Do you want these back?" Harry asked pleasantly. He flicked his fake wand, and the two bolts of red light flew back at the twins.

Fred and George dove to the ground, barely avoiding their own stunning spells. "Reducto," George shouted.

There was a flash of scarlet light. Harry waved his wand and a spherical blue shield appeared in front of him, blocking the curse.

The twins paused. They were beginning to realize they may have bitten off more than they could chew. Fred fired off a disarming spell, which Harry ducked. The chair he'd been sitting in flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

"Can we stop this please?" Harry said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"No!" the twins growled. "We will protect our sister."

"Where were you when everyone was calling her a dark witch?" Harry growled back beginning to get angry himself. "Maybe you don't want her to have any friends, is that it?"

Two more stunning spells was his only response. "Aw, what's the matter? Did I hit a nerve," Harry taunted.

"Fulgur flagellum," Fred said through clenched teeth. A whip of blue electricity flew from his wand and arced toward Harry.

Harry tried to dodge, but was not quite quick enough. The tip of the lightning whip grazed his cheek. The next thing he knew, he lay on the ground staring up at the approaching twins. His left cheek burned fiercely and every muscle twitched uncontrollably.

"Well," Fred said. "Now what are we going to do with you?"

Harry tried to move, but found that he couldn't. The lightning had paralyzed him. _'Crap,'_ he thought. _'I'm in big trouble. I was too confident and now I'm going to pay for it.'_

_**HPC**_

Jack stood beside the Erlking's bed, looking down at him. The sickly green light of the killing curse pulsed along the Erlking's aura. Jack frowned. He'd never seen anything like this. "The curse is still active. I have no idea how that's possible, but it is."

"Can you help him," Morgana asked.

"Yes, but I'll need my full power to do so, and he'll be weak for several days. He'll need to be protected. Do you understand?"

"We'll look after him, I promise," Vivienne said earnestly.

"Good," Jack said. "Now, I'll get to work."

Just like that, Jack was gone. Where a medium height old man had been, now stood a tall young man wearing long black robes woven with intricate runes and sigils.

He had long red hair that fell to his shoulders. His hands were broad, but with long slender fingers. His fingernails curved like clause and were cut to a fine point. His face was mostly hidden by a bushy red beard. The only thing visible was two glowing blue eyes. He smiled revealing large blocky teeth.

"Hello Vivienne," he rumbled his voice sounding like a rock fall. "It has been a very long time."

"M-Merlin," Vivienne whispered staring at the man in shock.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Sixteen**_

Harry watched as the twins approached, matching evil grins on their faces. _'Well,'_ he thought. _'I wonder what they're going to do to me.'_

"What in the world is going on here?" Ginny asked coming down the stairs. She surveyed the room. It didn't take long for her to realize what had happened. The overturned table, broken chair, and her brothers standing over Harry told her all she needed to know.

Ginny hurried to Harry and knelt beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry groaned. "That lightning whip curse could have been bad if it'd fully connected."

Ginny rounded on her brothers. "Which one of you had the daft idea to use that curse? Bill said that curse was extremely dangerous. He said there was a good chance it could kill the person it was cast on."

The twins shifted their feet nervously. "We… er… just wanted to protect you," Fred muttered. "Brian said that he," he pointed at harry, "was dangerous.'

"And you believed him," Ginny said incredulously. "That does not explain why you two felt the need to gang up on Harry. I thought you were Gryffindors, but maybe you should have been sorted into Slytherrin, hmmm?"

The twins flushed, but said nothing. "What would Mum and Dad say if they knew that you ganged up on a younger student. Just for you to know, in case it hasn't penetrated your thick skulls, that is called bullying."

Everyone was silent for several moments. Slowly, Harry got to his feet. He glared at the twins. "I can't believe that anyone related to Ginny could have such a lack of honor. Not even the Unseelie court are so cowardly to gang up on someone." He paused, staring at the twins. "How did you find out I was raised by the Fae anyway?"

"Brian," George said. "He said that the Fae had raised you as a weapon against the wizarding world."

Harry snorted. "I am no weapon, but I was sent here by my godmother.

"What for?" George asked.

"That," Harry said coldly. "Is between her and myself." He felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder. "I assume that we can put this incident behind us?"

The twins nodded sulkily.

"Good," Ginny said icily. "Because if we couldn't, I may just have to tell professor McGonagall that you used a lightning curse on a fellow student."

The twins paled. "You wouldn't," George said.

"She wouldn't believe you," Fred said.

Ginny glared at both of them. "One of your wands will show the spell and neither of you know how to delete a spell from a wands history. As for telling McGonagall, yes I would and I will if you ever attack Harry again."

"We're your brothers," Fred cried. "Would you really want to see us expelled?"

"Brothers," Ginny said. She laughed harshly. "You haven't acted like my brothers since you found out that I was the one that opened the chamber."

The twins lowered their heads. Harry spoke up. "Why did you abandon your sister? Surely, you must know that she was being controlled."

The twin's heads lifted. They stared at Ginny sadly. "We were idiots," George said.

"Complete and utter morons," Fred added.

"Can you ever forgive us," they said together."

Ginny looked down at the floor. "You two, along with the rest of my family, have ignored me for nearly two years, and now you just expect me to let that go?" Her voice was rising with every word. "Do you really think it'll be that easy?"

Harry laid a hand on Ginny's shoulder and squeezed gently. At his touch, Ginny calmed somewhat. "I'll forgive you,' she said quietly, "but it'll take a long time before I can fully trust you again."

The twins nodded and looked at Harry. "We're sorry we attacked you," they said glancing down at their shoes.

Privately, Harry thought they were only sorry because they got caught, but he nodded, accepting their apology. He and Ginny watched as the twins turned and headed up to their dorm. When they were gone, Ginny turned to him.

"Are you alright, really alright?"

Harry nodded. "I'm really embarrassed to be honest."

Ginny swatted his arm gently. "You aren't Merlin. Highly trained you might be, but you aren't some kind of all-powerful god. You have no reason to be embarrassed."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for saving me," he said quietly. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along."

Ginny smiled at him. "Anytime." She touched his burned cheek. "Will that heal, or do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Harry shrugged. "It'll heal by morning. Burns take longer to heal. I'm not really sure why."

"Okay then," Ginny said. "I think I'm going back to bed. Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "I just want to set things right here first."

He turned away from Ginny and looked out at the common room. "Messed caused by a fight, when I finish these words you will be set to rights."

A blue light washed over the room. When it faded, Harry's bowl of water sat back on the table, the egg still inside it. All the parchment that had been knocked off the tables were back in their original places and the chair that Harry had been sitting in was back in its original spot, unbroken.

"Impressive," Ginny said.

"Thank you," Harry said smiling at his handy work. "The older Fae don't need spells or incantations, but it'll be a while before I reach that level."

Ginny yawned. "You will get there eventually. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Night, Ginny," he said waving at her.

Ginny turned and trudged up the girl's staircase while Harry turned and headed up the boy's. Neither saw the person watching them from the corner of the room.

_**HPC**_

Puck watched as Harry disappeared. He let out a sigh and sat down in the chair Harry had vacated. That had been tense. He didn't know what he might of done if Ginny hadn't shown up. He looked around the repaired common room. Harry did good work. _'I think the twins still need to be taught a lesson,' _He thought. He considered this for a few moments before shaking his head. He would leave them alone for now. Ginny needed to get her family back, and if he pranked them, it might hinder that. He stood and left the common room, not alerting the guardian portrait. Maybe he would go and see what Lily was doing."

_**HPC**_

Merlin leaned close to the Erlking, his glowing blue eyes examining the green light closely. He scowled. "Bloody sorcery," he muttered.

"Can you heal him," Morgana asked worriedly.

"Yes," Merlin growled. "The curse got tangled up in his aura somehow, but it won't take much effort to remove it." As he spoke, he was moving his fingers as if untangling knots in a rope. After several minutes, he stepped back, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"There," he said. "It is done."

As they all watched, the green light that'd been in the Erlking's aura fizzled and then faded with a slight hissing sound.

"Thank you," Morgana said hugging Merlin. "Thank you so much."

Vivienne stared at her former lover. "They told me you were dead," she whispered. "Nimue killed you when she trapped you in that cave."

"She nearly killed me," merlin responded quietly. "Morgana helped me escape."

"Why?"

"She needed someone to send her and Lilith through time. Do you really think she has that kind of power?"

Morgana glared at him. "Hey!"

Merlin shrugged. "Sorry, but it's the truth. I'm not saying you couldn't pull it off, but you couldn't have insured Lilith's safety during such a trip."

Morgana grumbled a little, but didn't argue. She glared at Merlin and sat down beside the Erlking.

"That doesn't explain where you've been and why you masqueraded as a Fae of the winter. If you were weakened, why didn't you come here? I would have protected you. I would not have let any harm come to you."

"I was afraid you would have found out about my Father," Merlin said quietly. "Don't you remember why the Seelie court wanted nothing to do with me?" He sighed in exasperation at the confused expression on Vivienne's face.

"What are you talking about," Vivienne said slowly. "Your Father was an elf and your Mother was a mortal witch. The Seelie court didn't want you because the ruler at the time only wanted pure blooded Fae in his court."

"That was the story," Merlin said sadly, "but it wasn't true. No, my Mother was an elf. She was the daughter of a high ranking noble in the Seelie court. My Father," he paused for a few minutes, gathering his courage. "My father was Asmodeus, king of demons."

Vivienne stared at him. "That's impossible. Demons haven't been able to manifest in this world in thousands of years."

"I don't know how he did it, but somehow he did. I am the first and last of my kind, half demon half elf."

Vivienne stepped closer to him. "That doesn't matter to me," she said tenderly. "You were my friend and tutor." She blushed. "My lover. We could have had ages together."

"I know," Merlin said touching her face with the tips of his fingers, "but I was so afraid. I could handle the rejection of others, but your rejection would've broken me."

Vivienne drew Merlin into a hug. "I could never reject you."

"Ahem," Morgana glared at the two. "You two can have the tender moment later. What about my husband. How is he? Will he be alright?"

Merlin approached the bed. His eyes slid out of focus as he activated his second sight. "Hmm," he murmured. "The curse is gone. Now, he simply requires rest." He turned to Morgana. "Why didn't you take Lilith back to the Erlking when you arrived in the future?"

"I haven't had any contact with the Faerie courts since I arrived. I didn't know who the current ruler was, or what their plans might be for me and Lilith."

"Is that why you put her up for adoption?"

"Yes," Morgana said lowering her head. "I insured she was adopted by a good family and stayed close. I was afraid that if they found us, they would kill Lilith and torture me to make me accede to their demands."

"What exactly did you do?" Vivienne asked. "No one seems too sure about that. They said something about you wanting to close Elphame off from the mortal world."

Morgana nodded. "Our contact with mortals, particularly wizards has been nothing but trouble. I developed a spell that would close all portals to Elphame, but it takes the royalty of Faerie to do it."

"They might be more agreeable now," Vivienne said. Ever since Harry has returned to the wizarding world, he and I have faced nothing but hostility. It is to the point that both Harry and Lily are hiding their Fae blood under glamour."

"Wait!" Morgana exclaimed excitedly. "Harry went through the change? He's Fae now?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yeah, I didn't know if he would with his father being mortal and all, but he did. He's a half-elf now."

Morgana waved that off. "That doesn't matter, not in the grand scheme of things, anyway. Oh, this is great. How is he adjusting?"

Like the proud adoptive Mother she was, Vivienne sat down and began to explain all about Harry's change.

_**HPC**_

The weeks before the yule ball were hard for Harry. Learning to dance was not any easier than it had been when Vivienne had taught him.

"You are making progress," Lily said while rubbing her foot. "It hasn't felt like my foot has been crushed in days."

Harry scowled at her. "That doesn't make me feel much better. I'll probably break all of Ginny's toes."

Lily chuckled. "No you won't," she said. "We still have two weeks, and in that time, I'll turn you into a dancing champion.'

Harry stood up. "Alright then," he said gathering his courage. "Let's get started."

_**HPC**_

Lily was as good as her word. Three days before the ball, she thought Harry was good enough to dance with Ginny. Now, Harry was sitting in the common room doing his homework. Ginny sat beside him finishing a Charms essay.

"Hey, Ginny," Brian called. Harry and Ginny turned to see him walking up with Ron and Hermione.

"What do you want," Ginny asked distantly.

"I just wanted to talk," Brian said sounding wounded. "Besides, I have decided that you should accompany me to the Yule Ball, what do you think?"

Harry watched his brother curiously. He was not afraid of Ginny's answer, but he was curious what she would say.

"I think I already have a date," Ginny said coldly.

Brian blinked. Then his eyes shifted to Harry. "It's him isn't it," he said jabbing a finger at Harry."

Yes," Ginny said stiffly. "He is my friend. He asked me as soon as the Ball was announced. What's the matter? Can't you find a date? I would have thought that the Boy-who-Lived would be a prime catch."

Brian scowled. "I was just trying to be nice," he snapped, "but if you are going to be nasty, I won't bother. Enjoy your date with this loser," he finished jerking a thumb at Harry. Turning, he stalked off, followed by Ron and Hermione. Ginny saw Ron cast a glance back at her and Harry before following the other two.

"What was that look about?" Harry asked.

Ginny shrugged. "Who knows? Come on, I want to get the rest of this done before the Ball.'

HPC

On Christmas Morning, Harry awoke to find a small pile of presents at the foot of his bed. Smiling, He got dressed and picked up the first present.

The first present was from Ginny. Harry looked at the long narrow box with interest. He slowly tore the paper off, revealing an ornate wooden box.

Small figures had been carved into the lid. Harry could see a beaver, a wolf, a bear, and countless other animals. Curiously, he opened the box.

The first thing Harry saw was a long golden chain. He lifted it from the box, and examined it closely. At the end of the chain was a small silver knife. Intricate runes had been carved along its length. _'What is this,_' Harry asked himself curiously. He looked down at the box and noticed a note lying inside. Harry picked it up and unfolded it.

_Harry, _

_I talked to Vivienne about this. It is an elven blade. If you say the word "Grow," it will become the size of a short sword. _

_Merry Christmas. _

_Ginny _

Smiling to himself, Harry dropped the neckless over his head. He reached for the next package. It was from Lily. Slowly, he tore the paper off.

A silk cap fell out. Harry frowned. A cap? He appreciated the gift, but why would Lily give him a cap?

"A little confused?" Puck asked appearing beside him.

Harry jumped. "Don't do that," he snapped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Puck held up his hands. "Sorry, but I thought you might want to know what that is," he said gesturing to the cap.

Harry relaxed. "You know what it is?"

"Yup," Puck said. "It is a flying cap."

"A what?"

"A flying cap," Puck said. "You put the cap on and you can fly without the aid of a broom."

Harry grinned, but then it faded. "What if the cap falls off?"

The cap can't fall off," Puck said. "Only the caps owner can remove it."

"Did Mum make this," Harry asked reverently.

Puck nodded. "She sure did. She's taken to Fae magic like a duck takes to water. Now, why don't you open the rest of your presents?"

Harry looked down at the remaining presents. There were three of them. One from Vivienne, the Erlking, and Puck. Glancing sideways at Puck, Harry picked up his present and opened it.

A small stone carved in the shape of a lung fell out. It was attached to a thin silver chain. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What is this? I am not planning on smoking."

Puck rolled his eyes. "This," he said holding up the stone, "will aid you in breathing under water. I thought it may come in handy."

"I assume that it has the same enchantments on it that the cap does?"

"Naturally," Puck said cheerfully.

Harry looked at Ginny's knife and Puck's stone. Between you and Ginny, I think I'm all set for the second task."

"That was the idea," Puck said. "You know that they will probably take Ginny to the lake and you also know that you can't stop it, so you need to be as prepared as possible. The knife Ginny gave you can unlock any lock and undo any knot.

"Grate," Harry said smiling. He tucked the stone inside his shirt alongside Ginny's knife. Looking back at his presents, he decided to open the Erlking's gift next.

Tearing off the paper, he found a small leather bound book about the size of a notepad. He opened the book and skimmed the first few pages. "This looks like a book about shape shifting, but I thought the Fae couldn't do that."

Puck shrugged. "Elves can only use glamour, but the Erlking had pooka blood in him. I think he is hoping that you will inherit the ability to shape shift from him.

"Okay," Harry said slowly. He looked down at Vivienne's gift. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Don't have a clue," Puck said cheerfully. "Why don't you open it and find out?"

Harry tore off the wrapping paper and found a small stone bowl. Strange symbols had been carved around the edges.

"A viewing bowl,' Harry whispered. "I assume that it is connected to Vivienne's viewing pool?

"Even better," Puck said grinning. "Vivienne made her one and connected it to yours, so you can talk with her any time you want now."

"Awesome," Harry breathed.

Puck chuckled. "Come on," he said grabbing Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure your friend wants to know what you think of her present."

_**HPC**_

The day passed extremely quickly. Harry thanked Ginny for her present, had a light lunch with Lily, and participated in a snowball fight with the twins. It seemed like no time at all, that he stood at the bottom of the girl's staircase, waiting for Ginny to appear. He watched Brian exit the common room with a dark skinned girl he didn't know. At a light step on the staircase, Harry turned and his jaw dropped.

Ginny floated down the girl's staircase and stood before him. She was dressed in a floor length red dress that complimented her hair perfectly. Her hair had been pulled back from her face and fell down her back in graceful waves. She fidgeted nervously. "What do you think?" she asked in a small voice.

Harry swallowed hard. "You look fantastic,' he croaked.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks," she said cheerfully. "You look good yourself. Shall we go?"

"Yeah," Harry said holding out his arm. Ginny linked her arm through hers and they left the common room. Harry was so focused on Ginny that he didn't notice the stares they were getting as they walked down the hall. When they arrived outside the great hall, they noticed that the doors were closed. As they waited for the doors to open, Hermione Granger came up to Ginny.

"Ginny," she said happily. "Isn't this wonderful? She gestured to the tall sallow boy beside her. "This is Viktor Krum?"

Ginny nodded coolly at Hermione, wondering what the other girl wanted. She'd never said so much as one word to her before, so why was she talking to her now?" "I know Viktor," she said finally. He's an international quidditch star, isn't he?"

"Well yes," Hermione said uncertainly. She changed the subject. "Where did you get your dress? It looks fabulous."

Their conversation was interrupted by professor McGonagall. "Will the champions and there partners please come forward?"

Harry, Ginny, Viktor, and Hermione walked into the great hall. As they entered, Harry felt magic brush across his senses. Harry turned his head and saw the beautiful vela girl on the arm of a boy who looked totally besotted with her.

_'Ah,'_ he thought. _'That is the trouble with the vela race. Very few are immune to their allure.'_

Ginny saw him looking at Fleur, a pitying expression on his face. "What's wrong," she asked softly.

"She is vela,' Harry said quietly. "Veela were a faerie race that had the most success breeding with humans, but they have extreme difficulty obtaining mates."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Most males fall under the veela's allure. They will agree with anything the vela says no matter how ridiculous. The vela searches for a person that can resist the allure."

Before they could continue their conversation, they came to the table where the champions sat. As they took their seats, they looked at the empty plates in front of them. "Wonder where the food is," Ginny said quietly.

At that moment, Dumbledore looked down at his plate. He said clearly, "Pork chips."

Pork chops appeared on the plate. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates. As they ate, Ginny turned to Harry.

"Do the Fae have plates like these?" she asked quietly.

"I don't think so," Harry said. "I'll have to mention it to Vivienne. I don't think this type of idea ever occurred to the Fae."

"I thought the Fae were masters of magic," Ginny asked before taking a bite of her steak and kidney pie.

"Certain types of magic," Harry corrected. The nobility usually employs brownies for events like this."

"Those are the helpful household Fae that love chores, right?"

"That's right," Harry said smiling at her. "The brownies are related to the house Elves. That is part of the reason I am here. I was told to retrieve all of the minor Fae that wanted to return to Elphame.

After the meal, Dumbledore stood. "It is time for the champions to lead the first dance," he said loudly. "Will the champions come forward?"

Harry and Ginny came out onto the dance floor followed by the champions and their dates. Dumbledore waved his wand again, and a platform appeared at one end of the hall. A third wave and several instruments appeared on the platform.

Four women with fashionably torn robes trooped up onto the make-shift stage and began to tune the instruments.

"Those are the Weird Sisters?" Ginny said wide-eyed.

"The what?" Harry asked staring at the woman. They looked awfully hairy to him."

"They are a wizarding band,' Ginny explained. "They are very popular."

The Weird Sisters began to play. The song was slow and soft. Slowly, Harry took Ginny's hand and led her to the center of the dance floor.

They began a slow waltz around the floor. Harry was very conscious of where he put his feet. As the song came to an end, Harry sighed in relief.

"You did fine," Ginny said squeezing his hands. "Do you want to dance some more?"

Harry thought for a second. "Sure," he said softly.

As Ginny and Harry danced, they stared into each other's eyes. They could each feel the electrical current between them.

"Thank you for coming with me," Harry said softly.

Ginny leaned forward, her lips almost touching his. "You're welcome," she whispered. At the same moment, they leaned forward and their lips met in a soft kiss. After a moment, they pulled away from one another.

"Sorry," they said at the same time.

They both blushed. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," Harry said quietly.

"Me to," Ginny said looking down at the floor.

"Would you like to be my girl?" he asked staring into her eyes.

Ginny leaned forward for another kiss. "I'd like that,' she said."

"What's going on here?" a voice growled from behind them. Harry and Ginny turned to see Ron glaring at them.

"What do you want?" Ginny asked sharply.

"Did I see what I thought I saw? Did you just kiss my little sister?" Ron asked pointing at Harry.

"Yes," Harry said calmly, "but that is between Ginny and I."

"She is my sister," Ron snapped.

"And she has agreed to be my girlfriend," Harry said still as calm as ever. "What is your point?"

"I must protect my sister," Ron said drawing his wand.

"Mr. Weasley," Lily said walking up. "That is quite enough of that. Go back to your date at once."

Ron scowled at Lily, but turned and stalked away. Lily smiled at Ginny and Harry.

"You two make a great couple," she said smiling at them.

They both blushed. "Thanks, Mum," Harry said quietly.

Lily smiled at him calling her Mum. "Your quite welcome, son."

As she walked away, Harry smiled at Ginny and she smiled back. No matter what might happen in the future, he knew he would always remember this night.

A/n I am truly sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was exceptionally difficult to write.


	17. Seventeen

_Seventeen_

Ginny scowled down at her lap as she listened to the bickering of her family. _'You tell them the truth and they can't handle it,'_ she thought bitterly. The water in the glass beside her bed rippled. A face formed in the liquid.

"It is alright, child," Vivienne said, her voice had a slight bubbling quality to it. "You did the right thing."

Ginny looked into Vivienne's golden green eyes: "Then why do I feel so bad?" she asked, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks."

"Sometimes the things that must be done are the most painful," Vivienne explained.

Speaking from experience," Ginny said sadly.

"Yes," Vivienne said stepping out of the glass of water. She sat down beside Ginny and wrapped an arm around her. "Do you feel like telling me about it?"

Ginny lowered her head. "What was your family like?"

"Dysfunctional," Vivienne said rolling her eyes, "but we're not here to talk about me. Tell me what happened."

Ginny took a deep breath. She began speaking haltingly, but the longer she talked the faster the words flowed out of her.

"It all started when I accidentally opened the chamber of secrets in my first year at Hogwarts. I didn't know what I was doing. I just thought I'd found a cool magical diary that wrote back, but it wasn't just an enchanted book."

"Back up," Vivienne said gently. "What did this book do exactly?"

"When I found it in my transfiguration book, I thought it was just a normal diary. It was brand new. Everything I own is a little beat up, so I was excited to get something new, even if it was just a diary. I thought Mum had got it for me as a surprise present for Hogwarts."

"Understandable," Vivienne said encouragingly. "What happened next?"

"I started writing in the bloody book, that's what happened." Ginny's voice was bitter with self-loathing. "I wrote in it and it wrote back. I was so excited. It was like having a friend that I could carry around in my pocket."

"Did you tell your Mother about the book?"

Ginny shook her head. "Every time I thought about sending a letter to Mum telling her how grateful I was, it seemed wrong somehow. I would get afraid that they would take the diary away and then I wouldn't have my friend anymore."

Vivienne nodded, looking as if she'd swallowed a snail. "Sorcery," she hissed.

"Huh?" Ginny looked at her confused.

"Voldemort performed a dark bit of magic called sorcery," Vivienne explained. "Sorcery is the act of manipulating magic through compacts with demonic forces. You would've had no chance of fighting it," she growled. "You would have had to overcome not only Voldemort's magic, but the magic of the demonic entity helping him as well. A full groan wizard would've had trouble doing it, let alone an eleven year old girl."

"Anyway," Ginny continued. "The first sign of something wrong came on Halloween. The caretaker's cat was petrified, and I had no idea where I'd been that night. I woke up the next morning covered in red paint with no idea how I got that way. I wrote to Tom at the end of the day, and told him about the cat being petrified."

"How did he react?"

"He seemed sympathetic," Ginny said. "He acted horrified about what happened to the cat, and when I told him about waking up covered in red paint, he seemed genuinely concerned. He said that if it kept happening to go to my head of house." Of course, by the time I'd decided to try that, it was too late.

Over the next few months, muggleborns were petrified. None died, thank heaven, but it was still almost enough to get the school closed down. I was getting scared. I was having more and more blank periods. One morning, I woke up, covered in feathers and blood. Later that day, I heard that Hagrid, that's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts," she said to Vivienne, who nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "I heard that his roosters had been killed and I just knew it was me.'

"By the end of the year, I was walking around in a haze most of the time. I participated in my lessons, answered any questions the teachers asked, and did my homework, but none of it was real. I was almost completely controlled by Tom at that point."

Ginny stopped and shuddered. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Go on," Vivienne said softly. She'd known that Ginny had been possessed, but she'd had no idea that it'd been this bad.

"Tom made me write the message of my demise on the wall beside a girl's bathroom and then sent me down into the chamber. The last thing I saw was Tom coming out of the diary, and then everything went dark. The next thing I remember is being in Dumbledore's office with Brian.

Of course, Brian took credit for saving me, but I knew he was lying. He didn't look like he'd been in a fight. His clothes were clean, there was no sign of injuries, and he didn't even seem tired.'

"That is awfully observant for someone that'd been through the ordeal you had," Vivienne commented, smiling at her. "I'm impressed.

"I was trying to think of anything except what was going to happen to me. I fully expected to be expelled. When Dumbledore asked me what had happened, I just told him everything."

"That was smart," Vivienne murmured. "The man knows Occlumency. He'd have known if you'd lied."

"My family was furious," Ginny continued looking down at the floor. She did not seem to have heard Vivienne. "They couldn't understand why I didn't stop writing in the diary. They think I was tainted by the diary, that I am no longer worthy to be a Weasley."

"Which brings us to tonight," Vivienne said rubbing Ginny's shoulders. "What happened?"

"Dumbledore gave us the option of going home for the rest of Christmas break," Ginny continued. "My brothers were going, so I decided to tag along."

_**HPC**_

"Ginny," came her Mother's voice from downstairs. "Could you come down here, please?"

Ginny frowned. "Something was definitely not right here. "Her family was usually content to ignore her. The fact that they were actually calling her was odd. She descended the stairs slowly to find all of her family in the den waiting for her. She began to feel uneasy. What was going on here? Why was everyone here, even Bill and Charlie, her oldest brothers?

"Ginny," her mother began. "It has come to our attention that you have become friendly with Harry Potter."

Ginny nodded. "Yes," she said slowly, deciding not to tell them that they were now a couple. "He is nice."

"You are to cease all contact with that boy immediately," her Mother said stiffly.

"Why?" Ginny asked calmly.

"You don't need to know why," her Mother said. "I am your Mother and you will do as I say."

Anger flared inside Ginny. She hadn't had a friend in all her time at Hogwarts, and now, just when she had not only a friend, but a boyfriend, her family wanted to take him away from her. She glared at her Mother. "Considering he is my only friend," she snapped. "I believe I have a right to know why you want me to break all contact with him."

"Don't take that tone with your Mother," Mr. Weasley said mildly. He leaned forward. "Dumbledore feels that the boy is dangerous and unpredictable. He told us that Harry grew up on an island far from Britain. Dumbledore doesn't trust his godmother. He believes that she is a dark witch. Do you know how much associating with such a person could damage our family's reputation?"

"I've met his godmother and she doesn't seem like a dark witch," Ginny said. "Harry told me that she hated dark magic with a passion."

"Yes, well," Mr. Weasley floundered. "Do you know who Vivienne's ancestor was?" He didn't give Ginny a chance to respond this time. "Dumbledore told us that Vivienne is descended from Morgana Le fay. Do I need to remind you what she did? She was the primary cause of the fall of Camelot. She is the one who disguised Morgaus to appear as a stranger. She enabled Morgaus to seduce King Arthur. It is due to her betrayal that Mordred was born and Camelot fell, and Vivienne is her direct descendant, so you will pardon me if I do not believe your friend."

Ginny stared at her Father in disbelief. "You are not serious," she said finally. "You always told us that Weasleys weren't bigots, but here you are, blaming Harry for something his Godmother's ancestor did. Do I need to remind you that Merlin himself was half-elf?"

"That was different;" Percy, Ginny's third oldest brother, said hotly. "Merlin fought for the good of the Wizarding world. He fought against Morgana."

Ginny glared at her parents and Percy. "So you would have me give up the only person that has been a friend to me because of a feud that took place over fifteen hundred years ago?"

"Ginny," her Father said gently. "You have no idea what kind of dark magic Harry might know. The Fae cannot be trusted. They always have their own agenda when they enter the wizarding world, and Dumbledore told us that Vivienne has Fae blood. She may be a full blooded Fae for all we know."

"How would you know that?" Ginny asked. "Have you ever met any Fae? Have you ever spoken to any Fae? NO, of course you haven't, because the Ministry of magic has forbidden any contact with them. Why is that, I wonder? Could it be that they are trying to hide something? If we haven't had contact with the Fae in centuries, how do we know that they're evil?"

Bill, Ginny's oldest brother, stepped forward. "Be careful, Gin," he said softly. "There are certain elements in the ministry that would have you thrown into Azkaban if they heard you express such opinions."

Ginny sighed. "We are getting off topic anyway," she said rubbing a hand across her face. "Did you know Harry was the only one at Hogwarts not to Judge me when he found out what'd happened in my first year? Did you know that he actually talked to me and told me that it wasn't my fault?"

There was silence in the room for several moments. Finally, Mr. Weasley spoke. "Ginny, why did you write in the diary? I thought I raised you better than that. I told you never to trust something that could think for itself unless you could see where it kept its brain. I still can't understand why you didn't show the diary to your Mother or me?"

"I couldn't," Ginny said, her voice quavering. "Every time I even considered showing the diary to someone, something stopped me."

"Something," Bill, who was a curse breaker, said. "What kind of something?"

"I can't explain it. It wasn't like anything told me not to show the diary to anyone. It was more like a lack of desire. It never seemed important enough to show anyone."

Bill nodded. "That sounds about right. I've run across similar spells, but they're usually on…" He stopped his eyes going wide.

"Bill," Mr. Weasley said beginning to rise to his feet. "Is something wrong?"

Bill shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "Nothing is wrong. I'll tell you about it later."

Frowning, Mrs. Weasley turned back to her daughter. "Well Ginny," she said. "Are you going to stay away from Harry or not? You are, of course, still allowed to see Brian if you like."

Ginny shook her head. "Harry has been more of a friend to me than anyone else at Hogwarts, and his godmother and mother have been more motherly to me this year than you have in the past year and a half. Was what I did so terrible that it warranted being ignored and treated like a second class citizen by my own parents?"

Molly scowled at Ginny. "We never treated you like a second class citizen."

"No?" Ginny asked, raising one eyebrow. "You always got me the most battered school supplies, I was always given the most difficult chores to do, and any time I was around you all, you spent the biggest part of the time glaring at me."

The Weasley family sat quietly, looking at their daughter and sister respectively. They were all thinking back over the past year and a half. Ginny continued all her pain and anger spilling out of her in a rush.

"I was possessed in my first year, and when it was finally all over, did I get a hug? Did anyone truly understand what'd happened to me? No, I got disappointed looks and snide comments from my own family, so you will forgive me if I do not intend to give up the only friend who treats me like a human being and not like a bomb about to go off."

Spinning around, Ginny stalked out of the room. Climbing the stairs to her room, she threw herself on her bed and began to cry. She cried for the things she had said, she cried for the things that had been said to her, but most of all, she cried for what Voldemort had taken from her. When it was over, she felt better. She felt as if she'd expelled a poison that had festered inside her for over a year and a half."

_**HPC**_

Vivienne was quiet. "And they've been fighting ever since?"

Ginny nodded. "I don't know what they're arguing about. I haven't had the courage to go down there. I've just heard a lot of yelling."

Vivienne nodded. "Would you like to go back to Avalon with me?"

Ginny shook her head. "As much as I'd like to escape, I need to see this through. I want this done with once and for all."

Vivienne smiled. "Good brave girl," she said encouragingly. "I will be here if you need me, alright?"

Ginny smiled. "Thanks," she said softly. "Where's Harry? I half expected him to be here."

"He's with his Mother," Vivienne said. She stayed at Hogwarts to get some work done. James and Brian went home for Christmas. I think her and Harry are using this time to catch up."

Ginny's smile widened. "Good for him. I'm glad he had one of his parents back."

"So am I," Vivienne said standing up. "You are sure you don't want to come back to Avalon?"

Ginny shook her head, watching as Vivienne walked back to the table. "No, but I'll let you know if anything changes."

Vivienne nodded. "Good, I don't want to have to turn your family into dolphins."

Ginny laughed as Vivienne vanished. She flopped back on her bed and closed her eyes. Things would work out. She would talk to her family and they would accept her, or they would not. Either way, her family knew how she felt and that was enough, for now."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore sighed, scratching his beard. The news he'd just received had been disturbing. It appeared that Ms. Weasley had grown a backbone. This was unacceptable. She was beginning to display qualities that worried Dumbledore.

The girl needed to be kept in line, but how? Was a love potion possible? _'No,_ he thought. _'She is too close to Lily. Lily would recognize a love potion in a heartbeat.'_

Dumbledore looked up at Fawkes's perch. Where was his oldest friend? He hadn't seen him in days. Had his phoenix abandoned him? No, that couldn't be. He was of the light. He had not faltered. Fawkes would not abandon him. He would return.

_**HPC**_

Harry smiled at his Mother as he took a sip of tea. This is great, Mum."

Lily smiled. "It's good for me to. Especially since you are not trying to crush my feet."

Harry scowled. "I was not that bad at dancing."

Lily chuckled. "How do you know? I could've used numbing charms until we finished our lesson."

Harry sputtered causing Lily to laugh harder. "Well, drinking tea is better than dancing anyway."

Lily leaned back in her chair and grabbed a cookie from the plate sitting on her desk. "I can agree with you about that."

Lily's expression became serious. "So, you and Ginny, When did that happen?"

"At the Yule ball," Harry said quietly. It just happened."

Lily nodded. "Have you talked to her since she went home for break?"

"A little, she said that her talk with her family didn't go well."

"I'm not surprised," Lily said dryly. "It will not be easy for them to admit they've done wrong for the past year and a half."

"What can I do to help her?"

"Just be there for her. Be prepared to listen if she needs someone to talk to. She just needs someone to lean on right now. I think Vivienne has gone to talk to her."

Harry stood up and hugged Lily. "Thanks Mum," he said.

Lily smiled to hear him call her Mum. "You're welcome, son," she said softly. She pushed him away gently. "Now," she said. "You need to go to bed, it's late."

Harry yawned. "Mum, he groaned. "I am almost fourteen and a half."

"I don't care if you are fifty," Lily said smiling. "Go to bed, and enjoy being able to sleep late."

Rolling his eyes, Harry hugged Lily again before heading for the door. At the door, he turned back to look at his Mother. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Lily said smiling.

_**HPC**_

Lily stepped into the classroom and spotted Vivienne standing at the window. "You wanted to see me?"

Vivienne turned to face her, a nervous look on her face. "There has been a development."

"What sort of development?" Lily asked.

We need to introduce you to someone," the Erlking said appearing beside her.

"Dad?" Lily asked turning to him. He looked thinner. His skin had a pale bluish tinge to it. "Are you alright?" she asked a worried expression on her face.

The Erlking waved a hand. "I'm fine. I was just in a scuffle a few weeks back. It's nothing. Right now, there are more important things to deal with."

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Wait," Vivienne said. "Harry needs to be here for this." No sooner had she spoken, than Harry walked through the door.

"Mum, Vivienne, what's going on?"

"We need to introduce you to someone," Vivienne said.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Me," a feminine voice said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see a woman standing beside the door. She was tall and supernaturally slender. Her hair was the color of freshly spilled blood, and her eyes were a glowing golden green.

Harry looked at the woman, confused. "Who are you?" he said blankly.

The woman turned to look at Lily, ignoring Harry's question. "Hello daughter," she said smiling hesitantly.

Lily stared at the woman, shocked. "Mum," she whispered.


	18. Eighteen

_**Eighteen**_

Lily stumbled backwards, and would have fallen had not Vivienne caught her. Eyes wide, she stared at the woman before her. "You said she was dead," she glared accusingly at Vivienne. "You said she was killed.

"We thought she was," the Erlking growled. "I am still not sure how she pulled that one off. She says that she brought you here to the future, but I would have sworn she was still with me after you were sent to the future."

Morgana shifted uncomfortably. "Merlin helped. He modified the memories of certain members of the court to make them believe what I wanted."

"Which reminds me," Vivienne interrupted. "Did you know about Merlin as well?"

"No," the Erlking growled, glaring at Morgana. "I knew he was powerful, and I assumed he was some type of former god. I had no idea Jack Frost was Merlin, or that he could mess with people's memories."

Morgana flinched. "It was to protect Lilith," she said angrily.

"Dumbledore said the same thing about the wizarding world and look at the results of his decisions," the Erlking fired back.

"None of this matters," Lily snapped. She stepped away from Vivienne and glared right into Morgana's face. "Why? Why did you abandon me? Was I so repulsive that you didn't feel like you could raise me after you got to the future?"

Morgana winced. "I didn't abandon you," she said softly. "I made sure you went to a good home, and I've been watching you all your life."

"Why give her up in the first place?" Harry asked. "You were in the future. You should've been safe from everyone."

"When I got to this time: I had no idea who I could trust. I could not risk going to the faerie courts. If Gwyn app Nudd was still in power, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill me and Lily."

"But it'd been over fifteen hundred years for him," Harry protested. "Surely he would've forgotten about your argument."

"That doesn't matter to Gwyn," Morgana said bitterly. He could hold on to a grudge for a very long time, and he didn't take challenges to his authority lightly."

"I decided to put Lily up for adoption. It was the most difficult decision I've ever had to make, but I didn't see any other option. If I cast glamour to make her appear human, people would believe that she was merely a talented witch."

"What was your reasoning for putting her up for adoption?" Vivienne asked.

"She would be safe," Morgana explained. "Gwyn would be looking for me, not Lily. If they found me, they would kill me, but they wouldn't be able to find Lily. She would be safe."

"Solid plan," said the Erlking after a moment. "I don't like it, but your reasoning is sound. Gwyn had no grudge against Lily herself. He would have merely killed her to hurt you."

Morgana nodded. "That's what I thought. However, deciding to put her up for adoption was only the first step. I had to find a good family to take her in. I didn't want to just drop her on a random doorstep."

Vivienne snorted. "I would hope not," she said indignantly. "That sounds like the plot of a fantasy novel."

Morgana glared at her sister. "Anyway," she said tersely. "I didn't just want to pick some random family to raise my daughter, so I tried to find families with Fae blood. However, the Fae can only breed with those that have magic."

"Kind of like looking for a needle in a hundred haystacks in the muggle world," Vivienne said. "Especially when you consider that most Fae don't breed with squibs.

"I figured that out," Morgana said rolling her eyes. "I eventually found a family with wizard blood in their ancestry. They didn't have Fae blood, but I hoped that people would believe that Lilith was just an exceptionally powerful witch."

"How did you get them to adopt her?" the erlking asked.

Morgana shifted uncomfortably. "I posed as a social worker for an adoption agency. You see, the Evans already had one child, but there were complications during the birth that rendered Mrs. Evans unable to have any more children. However, they still wanted a child." Morgana shrugged. "You know how powerful I am. Weakened as I was because of the time travel, I had enough power to conjure the necessary paperwork and make sure it was filed in the appropriate places."

Lily waved a hand, conjuring a chair. "So you've been watching me, didn't that still put me in danger?"

Morgana shook her head. "I was weakened from our travel through time as I said. It was all I could do to conjure the appropriate paperwork for your adoption, and make sure it ended up in the right place. No faerie would have been able to track me down, and you were hidden under the glamour I cast upon you. None of the Fae would've been able to find you."

Lily scowled. "Neither you nor Dad have really explained why you had to give me up in the first place. All I keep hearing is that it was the only way. What happened all those years ago? Why did you make the decision to bring me to the future?"

"This will be hard to explain," the Erlking growled. He gestured and a glass of water appeared in his hand. Taking a sip he continued.

"It all started because of an argument over changelings. Your Mother hated the practice because the faerie parents had a bad habit of not checking up on them once they were in a mortal's home."

_**HPC**_

Gwyn brushed his blond hair back away from his face and glared at Morgana. "I fail to see the problem," he said, his deep voice was as cold as ice. "Mortals are stupid. They will not realize that we have switched children until it is too late."

"They will kill the Fae," Morgana said. Don't you know what is done to them?"

Gwyn App Nudd's blue eyes flashed. "May I remind you that changelings are the unwanted half-breeds and stunted weaklings of the Seelie court? It is sad to say, but wizard children can strengthen our bloodline better than these disgraces."

"May I remind you," Morgana hissed, "that I am one of those disgraces?"

"It always comes back to you doesn't it, Morgana?" Gwyn said loftily. "You are still angry that your parents gave you up. Remember, your parents gave you to the Duke of Cornwall. That was far better than most of your changeling brethren got."

Morgana stared at the king of the Seelie court, her hands shaking. "So you will do nothing? You will simply allow innocent Fae children to die?"

"You don't know that the wizards will mistreat our children?" Gwyn growled. "You assume they will because the mundane mortals did when we tried breeding with them. So long as the blood magic holds the wizards will never know that some of their children aren't really wizards. The weakest of our race is as strong as an average wizard anyway, so it's a win for everybody. The wizard bloodlines become a little less inbred, and so do ours."

"You could go to Avalon. My sister Vivienne would be happy to introduce you to the Fae that live there."

Power filled the court. Gwyn App Nudd's eyes began to glow. "Avalon sided with the mortal king," he said softly. "They broke the laws of faerie.'

"They broke your laws, not their own," Morgana snapped. "As you well know, each court is a nation unto itself."

"Nevertheless," Gwyn said. "I will not side with Fae I do not trust." He fixed Morgana with a hard stare, "and that most definitely includes you."

"We are never going to agree, are we?" Morgana asked sadly.

"No," the Gwyn said shortly. "Now get out of my sight."

Morgana turned and started to leave the room. Just as she was about to step through the door, Gwyn's voice stopped her.'

"Oh, and Morgana? You might want to keep an eye on that daughter of yours. It would be a shame if something was to happen to her, wouldn't it?"

Morgana spun, flicking a hand at the king of the Seelie court. A spear made of solid ice appeared out of thin air and flew towards Gwyn App Nudd.

Smiling, Gwyn waved a negligent hand and the icy spear was engulfed in a wave of fire. He bowed to Morgana. "I will ignore that little burst of temper, but if you ever raise a hand against me again, I will crush you."

Morgana stared at Gwyn. _'Should I attack him,_' she thought. _'I could probably do some real damage before he killed me._' _'No,_' she decided. _'It would be better to wait. I need to figure out how to keep Lilith safe._'

Wordlessly, Morgana spun on her heal and left the room a plan already beginning to form in her mind.

_**HPC**_

"So what did you do?" Harry asked.

"I contacted Nicnivin," Morgana said. "I knew she might be the only one who could help me."

"Who?" Lily asked.

"The ruler of the Unseelie court," Vivienne explained.

"Ah," Lily said.

"I spoke to Nicnivin about the changeling practice. I believed that the Fae could marry shape-shifters to revitalize the Fae bloodlines. Also, I had begun to notice that the wizards were very pureblood oriented. I feared that wizard/Fae children would be persecuted if it ever came out what the Seelie court had done. Not to mention, what the wizards would do if they ever found out that some of their precious pureblood children had been stolen."

"How," Vivienne said. "How did you do it? You were part of the Seelie court. Nicnivin wouldn't have met with you willingly."

Morgana lowered her head. "The Unseelie court was the first court I was associated with when I was reintroduced to the faerie world."

_**HPC**_

Morgana shivered as she stepped into the throne room. It was just as disturbing as she remembered.

The walls and floor were made of dirty black stone. A row of severed human heads hung on the wall. A candle had been thrust into the top of each head, the wicks burning with an unnatural purple flame. As Morgana passed the heads, she clearly saw the lips move.

"Help us," the heads whispered in cracked broken voices. "Please, set us free. We just want rest."

Morgana ignored the heads with a great effort. She had work to do and she couldn't afford to be side-tracked. She stopped before the throne of the Unseelie court, and looked at the figure slumped inelegantly upon the great chair.

She could not see the Unseelie queen clearly. The shadows surrounding her throne prevented that, but she got the impression of a vaguely humanoid shape. However, something was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but Morgana literally felt the hairs on the nape of her neck stand on end.

"Why have you met with me, Seelie bitch," Nicnivin said from the darkness, her voice sounded like a thousand insects scuttling along a hardwood floor. "Are you unhappy in your new home of light? Do you wish to come back to my court?"

Morgana leapt backwards as dozens of spider legs reached out of the darkness, clicking and clacking as they stretched towards her. She waved a hand, and a wave of earth rose up, forming a protective wall before her. "No my lady," she said, bowing respectfully. "I have come to ask a boon of you."

"A boon," Nicnivin hissed. "What madness is this? You gave up any right to ask a boon of me when you left my court. What would you offer me to regain that honor, hmmm?"

"Security?" Morgana said.

Nicnivin paused. "Security," she hissed. "Interesting, come closer."

One of her spider legs snapped out shattering Morgana's earth wall as if were made of tissue paper, wrapping around her, and pulling her onto the throne. "What do you mean by such a lie?" Nicnivin hissed in her ear.

Morgana shuddered as the queens breath touched her cheek, smelling of spoiled meat and rotten vegetation. Up close, Morgana could see the queen of the Unseelie court for the first time.

She was truly hideous. Her torso was like that of a human woman, but where arms and legs should be were dozens of spider legs, each as thick as a grown man's wrist. Blue flames flickered in the sockets where eyes should be, and the thin slit of a mouth was packed with rows and rows of raiser sharp teeth.

"What do you have to say, little elf," Nicnivin purred. "Speak quickly, and I may kill you before I eat you."

"Morgana struggled to free herself. "Do you have changelings?" she gasped out.

She felt the spider legs holding her loosen in surprise. Quickly, Morgana flipped out of the grasp of the legs, landing crouched several feet away. Concentrating, Morgana formed a shimmering sphere of ice around her, protecting her from any more surprise attacks.

"What kind of question is that?" Nicnivin snarled, her spider legs twitching in agitation. "You know that we have no use for changelings. We do not have the same breeding problems that your precious Seelie court does. We accept everyone, all those Fae that are not worthy to walk in the shining court."

Morgana nodded. "I am aware of that milady," she said bowing. "So you do not have any contact with mortals?"

"The occasional human," Nicnivin said gleefully. "They are so fun to play with."

"Quite, but how many Fae have you lost in your confrontations with humans."

Nicnivin frowned. "Only the wizards are a true threat, with their little spells. They have killed many of my people who were just trying to have a little fun."

_'Fun my arse,'_ Morgana thought. _'Considering what you like to call fun, I'm not surprised they fought back.'_ Clearing her throat, Morgana looked Nicnivin in the eye. "What if I told you how to protect yourself from all mortals, not just wizards?"

"I'm listening."

Morgana let out a sigh of relief. "I know of a spell that will close the gates of Elphame forever, but it takes the power of the royals to accomplish."

"It will close all the gates?" Nicnivin asked the rough ridges where eyebrows should be arched in surprise. "I never thought you would want to hide."

"I want my daughter to survive," Morgana said shortly. "What do you say? Will you aid in this?"

Nicnivin thought for several moments. "What does your king think about this?"

Morgana shifted uncomfortably. "Well," she began.

Nicnivin's cackle interrupted her. It rang around the court, echoing off the stone walls. "You haven't told him have you," she chortled. "This is priceless. A Seelie asking an Unseelie for aid without the consent of the king." Her expression sobered. "You do realize that this is treason don't you, little elf?"

"Yes I do?" Morgana snapped. "I have spoken to Gwyn about this, but he hates the idea. He wants to continue switching children with wizards. I believe that such actions will result in war between Fae and wizards. If it is treasonous to allow my king to cause a war for prides sake, then so be it."

"Treason is punishable by death," Nicnivin hissed, "Yet you came to see me anyway, gutsy." She was silent for several more moments. "Very well," she said finally. "I grow weary of humanity. If you can convince Gwyn to go along with this, I will aid you."

_**HPC**_

"That's what happened," Morgana said tiredly. "Nicnivin agreed to close the gates of Elphame, and I ran."

Vivienne sighed. "No one can say that your intentions weren't noble. Do you know if Nicnivin still rules the Unseelie court?" she said turning to face the Erlking.

"No, but I'll do some checking tomorrow. For now," he said standing up and yawning. "I think it's time for bed."

"But," Lily began.

"We can talk tomorrow," the Erlking said firmly. "You and Harry have classes tomorrow, and you also need to prepare for the custody case coming up," he finished turning to Vivienne.

Vivienne nodded. "He's right," she said turning to Lily.

Lily nodded. She slipped an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him close. "We're not done here," she said glaring at Morgana and the Erlking.

"I know," they said together. "We promise that we will talk later," Morgana said earnestly.

"Good," Lily said frostily. Together, she and Harry turned and left the classroom, Vivienne following close behind.

_**HPC**_

"You are sure it'll work?" James asked.

"I believe so," Dumbledore said. "You shouldn't have any trouble getting custody of Harry returned to you, but this will be a good backup plan."

James nodded. "Do you think we should use it on her anyway? I mean even if she loses the custody battle, she's not going to just give up."

Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps, but you do realize this could set the entire faerie race against us?"

James snorted. "I do not fear the fae. They can't do anything to me."

"They could curse your family," Dumbledore said. "I know that you have researched protections against the Fae, but I would guess that you haven't had much luck, have you?"

James's scowl was enough of an answer. "If all goes planned, we won't need to use the spell, but if we do, be on your guard, understand?"

James nodded only half listening. That woman had destroyed his family and he was going to make her pay if it was the last thing he ever did.

_**HPC**_

The next few weeks passed relatively quietly. Lily, Morgana, and the Erlking continued getting to know one another. On the last day of February, Harry received a letter.

**Dear Mr. Potter, **

**Your presence is requested at a custody hearing on the 22 of March, 1995 at 8:00 A.M. **

**Sincerely, **

**Edward Weatherby **

**Department of Magical Child services. **

"Well," Ginny said. "We've been expecting something like this."

"Yeah," Harry said a pit forming in his stomach. He looked up at the head table to see his Mother looking at him. He nodded to her. Turning back to Ginny, Harry leaned closer to her. "How do custody cases go in the magical world? Vivienne said that you need an attorney in the muggle world."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know." Someone touched Harry's shoulder.

"Meet me in the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor after breakfast," Lily murmured in his ear.'

Harry nodded. The rest of breakfast passed in silence. After the meal was done, Harry and Ginny left the great hall.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore watched as Lily spoke to Harry before leaving the hall. A few minutes later, Harry and Ginny followed. Something wasn't right here? He looked at the letter in his hand. Was Lily meeting with Harry to talk about the custody hearing? Which side was Lily on? He needed to talk to James. They may need to risk giving her the potions again.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne, Harry, Lily, and Ginny sat in the abandoned classroom. A layer of privacy wards prevented them from being overheard by anyone. "What do we do?" Harry asked. "How do we prepare for something like this?"

"First," said Vivienne. "I would start checking your food and drink. Dumbledore may try to potion you before the hearing."

"Alright," Lily agreed. "What else can we do to prepare?"

Vivienne sighed. "Nothing," she said tiredly. "I honestly have no idea how we're going to work this. Harry may be coming to you for at least a while. If that happens, you must swear to protect him.'

"Godmother," Harry groaned. "I am fourteen. I don't need to be coddled. I'm not a baby.'

Vivienne and Lily both smiled at him. "To us," they said together. "You will always be our baby.'

Harry blushed and hid his face in his hands. Ginny giggled.

"Don't worry Harry," she said seriously. "If you need to wear nappies, I'll change you."

"Whoa!" Puck exclaimed appearing behind them. "She's a keeper Harry, not many girls would do that. I know Lily probably wouldn't do that for me."

Lily flicked a finger at Puck. A stinging hex hit him square in the nuts. Puck's eyes went wide and he crumpled to the floor, both hands clutching is groin.

"For the last time," Lily said pleasantly. "I am not married to you, so I don't have to take care of you. Stop flirting with me, got it?"

"Yes," Puck squeaked. "I'll be good, I promise."

"Good," Lily said. She turned to Harry and Ginny. "You two need to get back to your lesson, and I need to get back to James and Dumbledore. We can't have them being suspicious.'

Nodding, Harry hugged Lily, before he and Ginny left the classroom. Turning to Vivienne, she asked. "Will I see you at the hearing?"

Vivienne gave her a look as if to say, "Duh." "Of course, wizards hate Fae. You think I'm going to let them run me into the ground without defending myself?"

Lily smiled. "Good," she said happily. "I'll see you there." Stepping over Puck, she left the classroom, closing the door behind her.

Vivienne looked down at Puck, who was just pushing himself into a sitting position. ""Will you ever learn?"

Puck winced as he got to his feet. "You think Harry would mind a stepfather?"

Vivienne smiled at him. She slipped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him briefly. "You've come a long way from the trickster who used to give the occasional actor the head of an ass."

Puck shrugged. "We all have to grow up sometime. It just took me longer than most."

Vivienne laughed. "Come on, I have a lunch date with Merlin."

"Aww," Puck said grinning. "Old love rekindled. I think I'm going to cry."

"I'm going to make you cry in a minute." Vivienne growled.

"Promises promises," Puck said leering at her.

"You do realize that my boyfriend is the legendary Merlin, who can literally manipulate time and space at will, right?"

Puck shrugged. "Where's the fun without a bit of risk." He sobered. "I've got some stuff I need to take care of anyway, so I'll leave you to enjoy your date."

Vivienne nodded. "Be careful, Okay?"

"Always," Puck responded smartly.

Vivienne watched as Puck vanished in a swirl of magic.

Vivienne left the classroom and walked down the hallway. It would be good for her to take a walk before returning to Avalon. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

As she turned her head, a flash of red light lit up the hallway. Vivienne crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Dumbledore, James, and Snape stepped out of a hidden alcove, wands in hand. Dumbledore approached the fallen queen of Avalon. Flicking his wand, he cut a bit of Vivienne's hair off.

Without speaking, Dumbledore and the other two strode back into the Alcove, leaving Vivienne lying upon the floor.

No sooner had they left, there was a flash of light. Merlin appeared and knelt beside Vivienne. Frowning, he touched her hair. "Oh no," he whispered.

He laid a hand on her forehead. Vivienne's eyes slowly opened. "What happened," she said groggily.

"Trouble," Merlin said gravely. "We need to talk."

_**HPC**_

"It was Dumbledore?" Vivienne asked horrified.

"Yes, him, James, and Snape. Not even the strongest Fae can withstand three stunning spells if they're not expecting it."

"Why would they need my hair,' Vivienne asked confused. "I've studied Dumbledore's history and he doesn't know voodoo.

Merlin scratched his chin. "I don't know. It could be a banishing spell. That is the most likely reason.

Vivienne nodded, "but those types of spells won't keep me away forever."

"They would keep you away long enough to win the custody battle."

Vivienne lowered her head. "What do we do now?"

"All we can do is wait and see what happens."

_**HPC**_

The weeks leading up to the custody hearing were hard for Harry. He barely heard anything going on around him. Questions plagued his mind.

What if James got him? What if he never saw Vivienne again? How was he going to deal with Brian and Dumbledore?

Lily was not much better than Harry? She was torn. On one hand, she would love to have Harry back, but she didn't want to take him away from Vivienne completely. What was she going to do?

"It's hard isn't it?" Morgana said sitting down beside Lily in a beach chair and staring out at the ocean.

Lily turned to her. "This is a dream?"

Morgana hummed in agreement. "It is the only way I can talk to you without Dumbledore knowing."

"I'm still mad at you for abandoning me."

"I know, and I understand that, but this isn't about you and me.

Lily nodded. "Harry."

"Harry," Morgana agreed.

"What do I do?"

"You don't have any other choice, but to go through with the hearing."

"I don't want to take Harry away from Vivienne."

"You won't be," Morgana said firmly. "James will be. If James wins, your responsibility is to be there to support Harry."

Lily nodded. "Thanks, Morgana," Lily said quietly.

Morgana flinched, but smiled at Lily. "You're welcome, Lily," she said.

_**HPC**_

Wednesday, the 22 of March, was cloudy and grey. It matched the mood of the three walking into the courtroom. Try as they might, the three just couldn't help feeling that something was going to go wrong. They quietly took their seats and waiting for the hearing to begin.

"All rise for Lord Strickland," the bailiff said stepping forward.

The judge looked like a forbidding sort. He was tall, broad shouldered, with a hawk nose, and dull brown eyes.

"The wizengamot is meeting today to determine the custody of Harry James Potter. As Chief Dumbledore is one of the witnesses, I, Judge Stricklen, will be presiding over this case."

Harry looked at Lily. "Do you know the judge?"

"No," Lily said her green eyes wide. "I do know that most judges in the wizarding courts are traditional purebloods."

"Silence," judge Stricklen said loudly. "The hearing to determine the custody of Harry James Potter will now begin. I understand that both Mr. Potter and Vivienne will be representing themselves?"

"Yes," Vivienne and James said together.

"Very well,' the judge said. "Mr. Potter, will you please present your evidence?"

James stepped forward. "It all started when Lily found that she couldn't have a child. Vivienne came to her in a dream and offered to help her have a child if she would just love the child."

"A dream?" Judge Stricklen said. "That does not sound like any wizarding gift I've ever heard of."

James took a deep breath. He and Dumbledore had discussed this over and over, but neither felt like they had a choice. "She is not a witch, your honor," James said "Vivienne," he said pointing at the woman, "is Fae."

There was an instant uproar in the courtroom. Judge Stricklen fired a cannon blast from his wand to regain order. "You are aware what this means for your wife, are you not, Mr. Potter? Association with the Fae is punishable by death."

"Objection," Vivienne said rising to her feet. "Your law clearly states that summoning a Fae is forbidden. It says nothing about making pacts with us if we come to the witch or wizard or our own accord."

The judge scowled. "The law implies…" he began.

"But it does not state," Vivienne interrupted. "In essence, it is illegal to summon us, not make deals with us."

Judge Stricklen's thin lips were pursed in annoyance. The creature was correct. The Fae had not had contact with wizards in centuries, so the ministry had only passed a law banning the summoning of the Fae. They had never believed that a Fae would have come to a wizard without being summoned. He reflected that the law would need to be changed. "Very well," he said shortly turning away from Vivienne. "If you would continue, Mr. Potter."

James did. He explained about the birth of the Potter children. He explained how Lily had wanted to name Vivienne Harry's godmother and how he, in ignorance of what she was, had agreed. He told them of how after Brian defeated Voldemort, Harry didn't get as much attention as he once had. Finally, he explained how when Harry was five, Vivienne had come, knocked them out, and taken Harry away with her.

"Sounds like an open and shut case of kidnapping to me," Judge Stricklen said. "While we cannot arrest her, we can banish her back to her home realm."

Vivienne stood. "Under Fae law, the godparent has the right to remove the child from their parents if they believe they are in a harmful situation. A Fae is just as responsible for the child's well-being as the birth parents are."

"Did you believe Harry was in danger from his parents?" Judge Strickland asked raising an eyebrow.

"Emotionally, yes," Vivienne explained. "I believed it was in Harry's best interest to be removed from the Potter household."

"Why?" Strickland asked.

"The Potters were ignoring him and giving all their attention to their other son, Brian."

Dumbledore stood. "May I remind the court that we are not in the realm of Elphame. We are in the wizarding world: therefore, Fae laws do not apply here."

"You are correct as always, chief Dumbledore," the judge said. He turned to Vivienne. "I do not see that you had any reason to take the boy from his parents," he said. "We only have your word that Harry Potter was being ignored, and you could have enchanted the boy to believe anything."

"We were both ignoring him," Lily said rising. "We didn't mean to, but it happened."

"Sit down, Mrs. Potter," the judge said curtly. He turned back to Vivienne. "Noble as your intentions were I'm sure," he said sneering. "You did not have permission to remove Harry from his parent's home, which is why I will be returning custody of Harry James Potter to Lily and James Potter."

Vivienne stood, staring at the judge in silence. She didn't move so much as a muscle, but Harry didn't have his godmother's restraint.

A red bolt of light left his hand and narrowly missed hitting the judge. "I won't let you," he snarled.

"Harry!" Vivienne said sharply. "No, this won't solve anything."

"But," Harry began.

"Remember what we talked about," Vivienne said. "You know what you need to do."

Harry subsided, but still glared at the judge who was looking pale. "How did he…" the judge began.

"That is not important," Vivienne said quickly. "I will respect the court's decision," she said bowing. "I will return…"

Vivienne suddenly stopped speaking. Her eyes widened. She turned to Harry and Lily, opening her mouth. Before she could say a word, there was a blinding flash of blue light. When it cleared, Vivienne was gone.


	19. Chapter 19 Nineteen

_**Nineteen**_

Voldemort shifted in his chair. The firelight gleamed off his healthy pink skin.

"Well done Wormtail," he hissed. "You have done well preparing this body for my rebirth. What is it?" he asked, seeing Wormtail's frown.

"Master, you reversed most of the dark rituals you performed to insure your immortality. You restored your soul, purified your temporary vessel of dark magic, and severed your connection to the demon you'd bound yourself to. Are you not worried that you will be vulnerable to death?"

Voldemort chuckled. "I will be immortal," he said placating. "I have one more anchor to this world that no one knows about, and no, it is not a horcrux.

"What is it?" Wormtail asked breathlessly.

Voldemort smiled. "Let's just say that I went through an artistic phase when I was younger and leave it at that. Now, tell me about the custody hearing concerning the Potters. There may be something we can use to our advantage."

_**HPC**_

Harry woke slowly. He groaned. Where was he? As he shifted, he felt a cool hand on his forehead.

"Easy," Lily said. "Easy, don't move. That was a nasty fall."

"What happened," Harry muttered thickly. "Where am I?"

"Stunning spell," Lily said. "You went a little crazy when Vivienne disappeared, scared the hell out of the judge," she grinned.

"Godmother!" Harry cried, sitting bolt upright. "What happened to her?"

"Calm down," Lily said pushing him back down. "Vivienne is fine. Morgana explained what happened."

"And?"

"Someone used a banishing spell. It sent her back to Avalon."

"Why isn't she back here, then? A banishing spell just sends you to a particular place. You would still be able to return, unless…"

"The spell tapped into her magic," Lily finished. "She'll be bound to Avalon for about a month."

"How is that possible? How did they tap into Vivienne's magic?"

"Whoever cast the spell obtained some of Vivienne's hair. They used the hair in the spell."

"The second task is in April. Will she be there?"

"I thought it was in February?" Puck said appearing beside the bed.

"They changed it because of how cold the lake would be in February. They thought it could be dangerous for the hostages," Harry explained.

"Ah," Puck said. "That's actually logical. I wouldn't expect that from wizards. What about the third task?"

"June twenty-fourth," Harry said. "Apparently, we'll be told about the third task the evening after the second task."

"Okay," Puck said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He touched Harry's shoulder. "You know even though Vivienne may not be able to be there, Lily and I will be there for you, right?"

Harry smiled. "I think I'm ready for the task. Between the presents Ginny, you, and Vivienne gave me, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good," Puck said patting his shoulder.

"Why are we here?" Harry asked turning to his Mother. He looked around the room. "This looks like my old room at Potter Manor."

"Dumbledore thought you could use a few days here to reconnect with us."

Harry nodded. "What does Brian think about all this?"

Puck smirked. "He's not happy at all."

"Do tell?" Harry asked.

Puck smiled. "I think he said something like… 'Why didn't you just send him back to Avalon.'?"

"That's it?"

"Not quite. There was a lot more crying and screaming."

"Anyway," Lily said scowling at Puck. "Do you think you're ready for dinner?"

Harry sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "Sure," he said excitedly. "What are we having?"

Lily laughed. "Come on and find out."

_**HPC**_

Harry gaped at the mounds of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and steak and kidney pie. "Wow!" he murmured.

"What," James asked. "Didn't Vivienne feed you?"

Harry scowled at James. "Yes, Vivienne did feed me, but we didn't get chicken a lot or any type of bird for that matter. The only time we got turkey was at Christmas, and we got chicken even less than that."

"So what did you eat?" Lily asked curiously.

"Seafood and vegetables mostly."

"So what is your favorite food?"

"I like stuffed mushrooms, grilled shrimp, and shark steaks."

"Shark steaks?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, the part of Avalon I live on is an island, so we mainly ate what was caught in the ocean, or what we could grow."

Lily raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She would ask him about the geography of Elphame later. The rest of the meal passed in companionable silence. After the meal, James and Brian went into the den to listen to quidditch on the wireless, and Harry helped Lily clear off the table.

As she put dishes away, Lily finally turned to Harry. Not knowing if the information she was going to ask for was confidential or not, she lowered her voice so as not to be overheard by James and Brian.

"I thought Avalon was an island?" she asked. "All the legends talk about the isle of Avalon."

"Avalon is more than an island," Harry explained as he handed Lily another plate. "Avalon is one entire continent of Elphame."

"So Elphame is broken up into three continents?"

"More or less," Harry said. "The Unseelie are on the Northern continent, the Seelie are on the Southern continent, and Avalon is a court and nation separate from both."

"Okay," Lily said slowly. "Why is the Unseelie on the northern continent?"

Harry shrugged. "It's the darkest."

"Okay," She said looking a little confused. took the last plate from Harry and put it back in the cabinet. "Thanks love," she said, kissing his cheek.

Harry smiled at her. "No problem, Mum."

Lily gave him a gentle push. "Go on into the den with James and Brian. I'll finish up and join you shortly."

Harry turned and walked down the short hallway leading from the kitchen to the den. As he walked, he thought about his relationship with his Father and brother.

While his Mother and he had mostly repaired their relationship. He'd come to realize very quickly that he was never going to be close to his Father or brother. This didn't bother him that much. It was enough that he was repairing the relationship he'd had with his Mother when he was very small. From what he remembered, James had always been closer to Brian, while Lily had been closer to him. Smiling to himself, he started to enter the den, but froze when he heard Dumbledore's voice.

"It is necessary, James," Dumbledore was saying. "It has to be done."

Harry frowned. _'What is Dumbledore talking about?'_ Stepping closer, Harry pressed himself against the wall, and listened.

"No, Albus," James said. "I will not give Lily those potions again."

Harry's frown deepened. _'Potions what kind of potions?'_ He stiffened as he remembered Vivienne's findings. Lily had been given potions and been placed under layers of enchantment forcing her to ignore him.

"James, be reasonable," Dumbledore pleaded. "Lily is becoming too independent. She must be controlled."

"I said no," James said firmly. "I will not manipulate Lily's will again."

Harry felt a bit of pride at his Father's words. It was true that he'd done a terrible thing, but maybe he'd learned from his mistakes. There was a whooshing sound, which Harry recognized as the Flu activating. The next time Dumbledore spoke, he was closer. It was clear that he was in the den with Brian and James.

"Why the sudden reticence, James? You had no problem enchanting her before. You were even agreeable to Brian giving her the potions. What has changed?"

Harry could practically hear James's teeth grinding. "What has changed is that Lily is a lot closer to that Fae, Vivienne. I haven't found any way to protect myself from her and I don't want to risk the Fae finding out that it was Brian and I that gave her the potions. Contrary to what you may think, I love my wife. I gave her those potions because you said that she needed to be more devoted to Brian."

"That is true," Dumbledore said. "She needs to be more attentive to Brian."

"And yet you wanted me to get closer to Harry. Have you gone mental? Those potions and enchantments are what tore my family apart."

"So you are blaming me for all that has happened," Dumbledore said sounding wounded. "I merely did what I thought was best. Brian was destined to face Voldemort, I didn't want you to look back later and realize that you hadn't spent as much time with him as you might've liked should the worst happen."

"I partially blame you," James said sounding tired, "but what's done is done and we can't change it."

"What do you say? Will you give her the potions?"

"You still haven't told me why?"

"Lily may know of a way to get rid of the Fae permanently. It is our only chance.

James sighed. "What potions do you want me to give her, and how will you keep it secret from the Fae?"

Harry had heard enough. He stepped around the corner and into the den. The occupants of the den froze.

"Harry," James said with a forced smile. "When did you get here?"

"I heard everything," Harry growled. "Do you realize what you have done? You took away Mum's free will, and made her do what you wanted.

James and Brian went pale. Dumbledore, however, simply sat there, smiling benignly. "My boy," he said in his most reasonable tone. "There are things you don't understand."

"Maybe so," Harry snapped, "but one thing I do understand is what you did was akin to rape. How are any of you better than the Death Eaters?"

James leapt to his feet. "That is quite enough. I will admit that what I did was wrong, but I will not sit here and be called a rapist."

"Why not," Harry shouted back. "It is the truth. It may have been Dumbledore's idea, but you went along with it." He scowled at his Father. "What is it with you wizards? Albus Dumbledore says 'jump,' and you ask how high."

"Enough!" Dumbledore said sharply. "James step back," he commanded.

James hesitated. "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to modify his memory. We cannot allow him to tell Lily what he has overheard."

"He doesn't have to," Lily said from the doorway.

Everyone, including Harry turned to look at Lily. In her anger, part of her glamour had burned away. She glared at James, Brian, and Dumbledore, her golden green eyes glowing with power. "Is it true?" she asked in a quivering voice. "Were you the one's that gave me those potions and cast the spells on me?"

"Lily," James began. "Your eyes…"

"Never mind my eyes," Lily snapped. "Is it true?"

James hesitated. "Yes," he said in a quiet voice.

"Harry," Lily said gently. "Come hear."

Harry obeyed, and allowed Lily to wrap an arm around him. Pulling him close to her side, she looked at the other occupants of the room. A tear trickled down her cheek. "Why?" she whispered. "Why did you do this to me?"

"It was for the greater…" Dumbledore began.

"If you say greater good, I'll strangle you with your own beard," Lily hissed. "What excuse could possibly be good enough to force me to ignore my own son? I missed nine years of his life because of your schemes and James's complicity."

"Had we not interfered," Dumbledore said slowly. "You may have come to regret not showing Brian the affection he needed. Don't you see, Brian is destined to face Voldemort."

"So that justifies ignoring one child over another?" Lily snapped. "That justifies allowing one child to grow up a pampered prince, while the other is neglected and pushed to the side. That sounds like the recipe for another Voldemort if you ask me."

Dumbledore paled. Harry saw the hand holding his wand twitch, and reacted without thinking. Holding out his hand, Harry called; "Death stick."

Dumbledore dove to the ground, avoiding the spell. Harry was forced to duck as a bolt of red light narrowly missed his head.

Lily ducked a stunning spell aimed at her, and waved a hand, sending James flying."

"Lily calm down," James cried. "I am sorry."

"Sorry," Lily growled. "I'll show you sorry." She aimed a stinging hex at James's balls. James's eyes went wide before squeezing shut. He slumped to the floor, clutching his groin.

Harry was not idle. He was ducking and weaving to avoid spells aimed at him. "I will not hurt you," Dumbledore said quietly. "You won't be in any pain, I promise."

Harry thrust his hand forward, sending Dumbledore flying backwards, smashing into a wall. "Elder wand," he snapped. Dumbledore's eyes widened as his wand was jerked from his hand and flew towards Harry. "No!" he shouted. "Give it back."

Harry ignored him. He caught the wand neatly and slipped it into his pocket. "You won't be modifying anyone's memory now."

"My boy," Dumbledore said urgently as he got to his feet. "You have no idea what you've done. Please, return my wand at once."

"Let me see," Harry said calmly. "Give the man that was trying to curse my Mother and I his wand back, I think not."

Dumbledore took a step forward, but Lily waved a hand, sending him crashing into the mantle above the fireplace. Dumbledore slumped to the floor, blood trickling out of his long silver hair. "Stay away from me and my son," Lily snarled.

"Lily," James wheezed, climbing to his feet.

"Shut up," Lily hissed. "I can't look at either of you right now," she said shooting a glare at Brian, who flinched. "I'm taking Harry and we're leaving before I say something I'll regret."

"Lily please," James begged, but Lily was already striding out of the room, Harry trailing after her. James took a step after them. "I did what I thought was best," he cried.

"For the best!" Lily shouted spinning to face him. "How could any of this be for the best. You had to know it was wrong, so why did you do it?"

"I didn't want you to regret not spending time with Brian," James said.

"Funny," Lily spat. "That's exactly what Dumbledore said. Do you have an original thought of your own anymore, or are you just Dumbledore's mouthpiece?"

Lily's expression softened slightly. "It's bad enough that you enchanted me, but you convinced my own son to participate. Do you know how bad that hurts? I don't know if I could ever trust either of you again."

James hung his head. For the first time, he actually thought about his actions. Lily was right. Whatever Dumbledore said to do, James had done it without question, but he was Albus Dumbledore. If you couldn't trust him, who could you trust?"

Lily watched her husband for several moments. When he didn't move, she turned to Harry. "Come on, love," she said. "Let's get out of here."

Harry allowed her to lead him down the hall. As they entered the kitchen, he looked up at her. "Where do you want to go?"

"Avalon," Lily said without thinking. "Do you know someone that can take us there?"

Harry nodded. "Puck," he called.

Puck appeared and bowed. He started to make a comment, but stopped when he saw Lily's face. "What do you need?" he said straightening up.

"I need you to help Mum get to Avalon. I can travel myself, but I do not feel confident enough to take Mum with me."

"Right," Puck said bowing. Taking Lily's arm, he vanished. Harry looked around the kitchen of Potter manor one last time. He had a feeling he'd never see it again. With a sad smile, Harry faded from the kitchen.

_**HPC**_

Vivienne glared into her viewing pool. She watched as James and Brian went to their separate rooms. The sorrow in their eyes was not enough for her. _'I will end the Potter family,'_ she thought, _'this I swear.'_

Lily sat in her new quarters, sobbing. She clutched Harry to her, tears soaking his shirt. Harry, who didn't know what to do, patted her shoulder awkwardly.

"I heard what happened," Morgana said sitting down beside her.

"How, could, he," Lily choked out. "He betrayed me. He mind raped me."

Morgana nodded. "I know, my daughter, I know."

"What am I going to do now?"

"The way I see it, you have two options.

Lily looked up at her Mother. "What are you talking about?"

Morgana held up two fingers. "One," she said. "You can forgive him and give him another chance."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Two," Morgana said acting as though she hadn't heard Lily. "You leave him."

"What!" Lily's eyes were wide. "I don't know if I can do that either."

"It all comes down to this. Do you think you can trust him again?"

Lily hesitated. "I can't help but think that this situation is similar to yours and Dad's."

"Ours was different," the Erlking said sitting down across from her and Harry. "Morgana made me think you were dead. Your husband mind raped you."

"Morgana scowled. "When you say it like that, it sounds really bad."

"How would you phrase it," the Erlking said raising a single bushy brow.

Morgana sighed. "I guess you have a point. The point is," she said turning to Lily. "Both I and James deceived our spouses, that much is true. Both of us hurt our spouses deeply, but our methods and reasons were completely different."

"Right," the Erlking said. "Did James tell you why he gave you the potions?"

Lily nodded. "He said he wanted to make sure I didn't regret not spending time with Brian in case he died in the battle against Voldemort."

"And there is the difference," Morgana said. "I did what I thought was best for the soul purpose of protecting you. James wanted you to choose one child over another."

Lily sat silent for several moments. "I still don't know what to do about Brian. On one hand, he gave me the potions that made me ignore his brother, but on the other hand, he is still my son."

Morgana sighed. "That is something I can't help you with. For now, I would try and decide what you are going to do about James."

Lily shrugged. "There is nothing to do," she said. Magical marriage is for life, no matter what one spouse may do to another."

Vivienne entered the room, and Harry slipped free from Lily's grip to greet her. "Godmother," he said bowing to her.

Vivienne smiled, and gave Harry a quick hug before turning to Lily. "Who told you that a magical marriage was forever?"

"That is what the ministry official said when he performed James and my marriage ceremony."

"That is partially true," Vivienne said. Fae and wizarding marriages are usually for forever. However, there is a way out of them."

"How?" Lily asked.

"If one party does something to break the trust of the other."

"So if I lied to James at any point in our marriage, our bond can be broken?"

"Not exactly," Vivienne explained. "It has to be something major to break the trust. There are only two ways that I know of.

"And they are?"

"Adultery and rape. The rape can be physical or mental, and before you ask, what James did to you definitely qualifies."

Lily hesitated. Her first instinct was to sever the marriage bond as soon as possible, but she didn't want to rush. Did she really want to end her marriage to James? What about Brian? What would she do with Brian if James and her divorced. For that matter, what would she do with Harry? It was highly possible that James would blame Harry for her discovery of the enchantments and potions.

"I can't make this decision right now," Lily said. "I just can't divorce James when I'm angry. I need time to think."

"An admirable decision," the Erlking said pulling her into a hug. Pulling back, Lily looked up at him.

"What about you?" she asked. "Can you forgive Mother for taking me away?"

The Erlking scowled. "I do not like the way it was handled. I wish she would have trusted me to protect you and her. However, it did insure that you were protected, and for that, I am grateful. I think I can forgive her, in time."

Morgana smiled at the Erlking. "Thank you," she whispered.

The Erlking nodded to her. "Before we go any further," he growled. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

Morgana looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," the Erlking said slowly. "Have you done anything else that we need to be aware of."

Morgana hesitated. "There is one thing," she said softly.

"And that would be?"

"You must understand," Morgana said. "I wanted to stack the deck in our favor as much as possible."

"What did you do?" the Erlking asked, his stomach twisting painfully.

"I…I," Morgana stammered. "I have tried to make sure nothing negative happened because of it."

"Because of what?" Vivienne asked exasperatedly.

Morgana took a deep breath and stared into Vivienne's eyes. She then turned to Lily and looked at her sorrowfully. "It was I that entered Harry into the triwizard tournament. I put his name into The Goblet of Fire."


	20. Chapter 20 Twenty

_**Twenty**_

Lily stared at her Mother. "W-what?"

Morgana took a deep breath. "You heard me," she said softly. "I was the one who…"

"Why?" Vivienne gasped. "In the name of Danu, why would you do that to your own Grandson?"

"It was necessary," Morgana insisted. "Harry…"

"Harry didn't deserve to be endangered by his own family."

"Wait," Harry said. "Maybe we should hear her out."

"Didn't you hear her, Harry?" Lily asked. "She is the reason you had to face a dragon."

"I know," Harry said, "but Grandmother usually has a good reason for what she does. I have to believe she has a good reason for this as well."

"Thank you, Harry."

Harry nodded to her before walking over to his Mother. "She may not do things normally, but she has the best intentions."

Lily scowled at him. "The road to hell is paved with those."

The Erlking, who had stayed silent up until this point, looked at his wife, a stern expression on his face. "Harry is right. We will listen. Why did you do this?"

Morgana wasted no time in explaining. "It was necessary," she repeated. "Harry was going to be entered into the tournament any way. It was in Voldemort's plan. I entered him, so he would be in the tournament because of us, or rather me, not Voldemort."

"That's actually well thought out," Vivienne said, "but how do you know Voldemort was going to enter Harry in the tournament?"

"I've been watching him. He has a body again."

"Do you know how he survived," Vivienne asked. She seemed unsurprised at the news that Voldemort had a body again.

"I know he used horcruxes, but he absorbed those. Although," she said thoughtfully. "There's some kind of strange magic surrounding him. He's connected to something, but I don't know what."

"Couldn't you trace the connection?" Vivienne asked frowning.

Lily scowled. "I understand your thinking, but you should've at least talked to Vivienne first."

"Not you?" Harry asked looking at his Mother curiously.

Lily wrapped an arm around Harry. "As much as I'd have liked to be consulted, you didn't know I was enchanted at the time. Vivienne was your guardian and she should've been consulted before Morgana initiated this type of plan."

Morgana leaned forward. "I couldn't talk to Vivienne about my plan because she didn't know I was alive at the time."

"You could have informed me that you were alive. Lily's right. You should have told me what you were planning."

Lily sighed. "Unfortunately, what's done is done." She glared at Morgana. "This isn't over. We will discuss this later, but I have enough to think about right now. Not to mention, I need to make sure Harry gets out of this tournament alive."

Morgana nodded. "I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just did what I thought was best."

"You're always sorry," Lily snapped. "Never stops you for doing whatever insane scheme pops into your head, does it?"

"Is there anything else?" the Erlking interrupted. "You aren't I don't know, helping Voldemort return for some grand plan of yours or anything?"

"No," Morgana said. "You now know about every plan I have done since I got here."

"Good," Vivienne growled. She yawned. "We've had enough excitement for today."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I'm ready for bed myself."

Lily nodded, looking unsure. "Come on," Vivienne said helping her up. "I'll take you to your room."

"You set me up a room here?" Lily asked, smiling faintly.

"Right after I found out you were my niece. Your room is right across from Harry's."

Lily's smile widened. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

"Your family," Vivienne explained. "We'll always be here for you."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore scowled down at his desktop. His head hurt like hell, his plans were ruined, and to make matters worse, he'd lost the elder wand. Not for the first time, he wondered where everything had gone wrong.

"Fawkes," he whispered. "I could really use your help right now." Sighing he reached into a drawer and pulled out his original wand. As his fingers wrapped around the wand's handle, he felt warmth spread through his fingers. He sighed in contentment.

Dumbledore had used the Elder wand for over half a century. Although the wand had given him its allegiance, he'd never felt like it belonged to him. The elder wand had always felt as cold as ice. As he held his old wand, Dumbledore smiled. "Maybe the loss of the Elder wand wasn't so bad after all. Raising his wand, Dumbledore tapped the side of his desk. The wood cracked and split opened to reveal a small compartment. He slowly withdrew a bloody cloth from within, before allowing the compartment to close.

Placing the cloth on his desk, Dumbledore smiled. As careful as Harry had been, Dumbledore had been able to obtain a small sample of his blood during the first task. Now he would be able to see what sort of enchantments Vivienne had placed on his to obtain his loyalty. Once he knew that, he would be able to break the enchantments. Hopefully, if he saved her son, Lily would see reason and return to James.

He waved his wand over the cloth muttering in ancient Gaelic. Nothing happened. Frowning, Dumbledore traced his wand in a complicated pattern through the air, murmuring in Latin this time. The cloth glowed pale silver. His eyes widened.

"That's not supposed to happen," he whispered. _'It's as if magic saturates every drop of blood in his body, but that's impossible.'_

Dumbledore performed the spell again and again with the same result. _'Wizards don't have magic flowing through their blood like this,' he thought. 'According to the books I've read, Only Fae have this kind of blood. Could it be? Could Harry Potter be part Fae?'_

_**HPC**_

Voldemort looked at the sleeping Wormtail. The little rat had been a surprisingly good servant. Wormtail would need to be rewarded when he got his body back. His eyes drifted to a corner of the room and he shifted in his chair restlessly. He would need to be careful. His anchor to life was not as durable as the horcruxes had been. _'I wish I could have placed more protective enchantments on it, but any major protective spells would've interfered with the magic. I do not like the idea that my immortality is maintained by something so fragile._' Fear coiled in his belly. His last anchor had to be protected. For the good of the wizarding world, he must live. He was the only one who could save them from the muggles.

"Master?" Wormtail said. "Is something wrong?"

"No my friend," Voldemort said. "I trust you have rested enough?"

"Yes," Wormtail said climbing to his feet.

"Good, now listen, I have a job for you."

_**HPC**_

April twenty-fourth had finally arrived. As he stood on the shore of the black lake, Harry was relieved that the task was rescheduled. He couldn't imagine what it would've been like if this task had taken place in February. As it was, the air felt cool, but not icy. Swimming in the lake would not be comfortable by any means, but at least the hostages and champions didn't risk getting frostbite.

"Are you ready?" Lily asked walking over to him.

Harry looked at his Mother. She had gone very quiet over the past month. She hardly spoke and spent most of the time in Avalon's library. Now, here she was, standing beside him, ready to cheer him on. He smiled at her and drew the lung shaped stone out of his shirt. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I assume it's Ginny?"

"Yes," Lily said. "She's not here. I'm surprised you aren't panicking. She is your girlfriend, after all."

Harry leaned closer. "She's got a monitoring charm on her. I don't know exactly where she is in the lake, but I know she's safe."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised she agreed to that."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "She doesn't know. Puck cast the Charm on her a few weeks ago."

Further conversation was stopped, as a loud bang echoed across the grounds. Harry turned towards the lake and gripped the stone tightly. "Good luck," Lily called.

Harry nodded as he entered the water. As his feet touched the water, the stone in his hand grew warm. Harry felt a tingling sensation in his legs. Harry tensed. No matter how many times he'd practiced with the stone, he could never prepare himself for what happened. The tingling progressed into a horrible melting sensation, and he fell forward into the water. As he hit the water, he felt more pain on the sides of his neck.

_'Crap,'_ he thought as his head sunk below the surface. He tried to kick reflexively, but the new shape his legs had taken didn't allow that.

He took a long deep breath of the water and sighed in relief. As he relaxed, information began to flood his mind. The stone he'd been given was called a 'waterlung.' The stone allowed the owner to transform into a creature capable of surviving underwater. Harry twisted around to look at his legs.

His legs were gone. In their place was a long emerald green fish's tale. Tentatively, Harry swished his new tale. Smiling as he moved forward slightly, Harry struck out for the deeper parts of the lake. Swimming seemed to come natural in this form. He flew through the water, moving so fast, passing schools of fish appeared to be standing still. Straining his ears, he listened for the slightest sound.

The lake was as silent as a tomb. There was not even the sound of rippling water to break the ominous quiet. Even with his new eyes, Harry could only see a few feet in front of him. Suddenly, something moved up ahead. Harry tensed, readying himself for an attack. "Who's there," he called. He was shocked to hear his voice. It was slightly bubbly, but perfectly understandable. The shape ahead of him moved again.

Harry slowed his swimming. Carefully, he approached the spot where he saw the movement. The water rippled right in front of his nose. Harry back peddled, but it was too late. A tentacle flashed out of the depths and wrapped around him, binding his arms to his side. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail.

A mouth full of raiser sharp teeth appeared next. Each tooth was nearly as long as Harry was tall. "Giant squid my arse," Harry shouted. "I think they understated a little bit. The tentacle binding Harry drew him closer to the mouth.

"Screw this," Harry snapped. Twisting around, Harry sank his teeth into the tentacle as hard as he could. The tentacle flexed, crushing the air out of him before loosening. Harry rolled in the water to put some distance between himself and the squid. "Bla," he said, spitting out a mouthful of tentacle. He looked back at the squid to see it swimming towards him. Its blank eyes seemed to glare at him for hurting it.

"Oh come on," he groaned. "Can't you take a hint?" Waving his hand, Harry fired a cutting spell at the beast. The squid raised one tentacle to shield its face, which was cut in half. The severed end of tentacle flopped in the water, spraying black blood. "Yes!" Harry cheered. "That'll teach you to mess with me tentacle face."

His cheering was cut short as the tentacle wriggled. It slithered through the water towards the squid, moving like a tiny snake. "No, no, no, you have got to be kidding me," Harry muttered. Within seconds, the tentacle had reattached to the squid. "Great, now what?"

Harry turned and began to swim as fast as he could. Behind him, he could hear the bubbling rumble as the squid gave chase. It didn't take long for Harry to realize that he was outmatched. The squid was going to catch him no matter what he did.

Spinning around, Harry threw out a hand to ward off the squid; he gaped as a rope of what looked like living shadows flew from his hand and struck the creature square between the eyes. The squid opened its mouth in a silent cry and its rubbery skin seemed to blister and crack. Harry stared at his hand in shock. _'How did I do that?'_

The squid it seemed didn't like whatever had happened to it. Turning, it began to swim away at speed. Harry sighed in relief. _'At least that's over. Now, where am I.'_ He looked around, but saw only more empty water. He knew he only had an hour to locate Ginny, but he had no idea how much time had already passed. Concentrating, Harry checked the monitoring charm on her. The steady pulse of her heart let him know she was just fine. Not for the first time, he wished Puck had tied a way for him to find her into the charm, but considering the charm was supposed to be for the task, Puck hadn't wanted Harry to have an unfair advantage. _'Just once I wish the Fae liked to cheat in competitions. It looks like I'll just have to find her a different way.' _

Holding his hand palm up, Harry murmured, "Point me." A three-dimensional image of a compass appeared, the needle pointing north. Harry began to swim in that direction.

He'd only been swimming a few moments, when he saw more movement up ahead. Tensing, he swam closer. _'What is it now, a great white shark?'_ He thought exasperatedly.

A flash of silvery blond hair dispelled that idea. "Fleur," he muttered. He swam even closer to the vela. He could see bony fingers gripping her ankles. The fingers tore at her robes, scratching bloody rents in her flesh. He could see a horned face grinning manically. _'Grindylow's,_' he thought bitterly.

The grindylow's were a breed of water demons. Their fingers were very brittle, but their grip was terribly strong. Harry winced as one of the demons sank its teeth into Fleur's ankle. Behind the bubble of air, Harry could see Fleur's mouth open in a soundless scream of agony. Watching no longer, Harry flicked out a hand.

One of the grindylow's heads exploded like a rotten melon. The body fell backwards, the legs kicking convulsively. Moving quickly, Harry made a slashing movement with his hand. Green blood stained the water, and another grindylow's fell away from the vela, its throat a bloody ruin.

The other grindylow's turned on Harry, swarming him like angry bees. Concentrating, he flung out a hand, sending a compressed wave of water at the demons. The water surrounded several of the demons, trapping them in a watery sphere. Harry clapped his hands together, crushing the grindylows into a bloody paste. The others drew away from what was left of their comrades and turned to flee.

He watched the remaining grindylows disappear before turning to Fleur. Swimming over, he examined her wounds closely. Some of the gashes looked deep. Small streams of blood stained the water around her. Scowling, Harry gripped her hand and sent power flowing into her.

Fleur's eyes widened as she felt the power surge through her. She watched as the scratches and bites on her legs healed smoothly, leaving no sign that they had ever been. When he released her, she stared at him in awe. "How," she mouthed.

Harry smiled slightly. "My godmother is the greatest healer that ever lived. Now come on, we got hostages to rescue."

Nodding, Fleur followed Harry as he swam through the water. They had only swum for a few minutes when they heard the singing of the Merfolk. They swam faster and in no time they had reached a village right in the center of the lake.

The village was made up of small stone huts. A taller stone building sat on the edge of what had to be a town square. Harry guest it had to be a meeting hall of some sort.

In the center of the square, there stood a stone statue at least ten feet high. Four small figures were tied to the statues tail. Harry caught a flash of red hair. "Ginny," he whispered. "Gabrielle," Fleur gasped.

The two champions swam to the statue. Harry drew out the knife he'd gotten for Christmas and cut the seaweed that bound Ginny to the statue. She floated a few inches from the bottom of the lake, bubbles trailing from her mouth. Turning his head, Harry saw Fleur cut through Gabrielle's ropes with a knife of her own. Swimming down, Harry scooped Ginny into his arms. "Should we wait for the other champions?"

Fleur didn't move. Harry looked over and saw mermen surrounding her, pointing spears threateningly.

'_Damn,_' he thought. _'How am I supposed to get her out of this?_' He felt a strange new power shift inside him. His eyes widened as more of the living shadows exploded from his chest and wrapped around the mermen, binding their spears to their sides.

A mermaid with a crown of beautiful seashells swam up. She bowed to Harry. "My apologies, heir of Avalon," she said in a growling voice. "These men still cling to the old ways. You and the girl are free to go. Rest assured that these men will be dealt with.

Harry nodded. "Thank you milady," he said bowing. Fleur tapped Harry on the shoulder, pointing over his shoulder. Harry looked and saw Cedric and a sharkman that had to be Viktor swimming towards them. Nodding at Fleur, Harry tightened his hold on Ginny and swam towards the surface.

As he broke the surface, Ginny opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked.

Harry shrugged the chain over his head. A flare of pain in his tail let him know the spell had been deactivated. Releasing Ginny to swim on her own, Harry began to swim towards the shore of the lake. "You were my hostage in the second task," he explained.

Ginny nodded as they climbed out of the lake. "Are we the first one's back?"

Harry nodded and gestured at Fleur and the little blond girl. "Fleur and her sister got back at the same time we did."

Ginny grimaced as Madam Pomfrey dragged them to the medical tent. "So you are tied for first place with Fleur?"

Harry nodded as Fleur and Gabrielle were led into the tent. "At least for this task," he explained. He stopped speaking as he saw Fleur coming over.

"You saved her," she gushed kissing him on both cheeks.

"No," Harry said firmly. "You saved her. I just helped you get away from the grindylows.

Fleur shook her head. "If it hadn't been for you, Gabrielle would never have been rescued."

Harry opened his mouth to object, but Ginny touched his arm. "Just accept the compliment," she urged. "I don't know what you did, but she obviously feels like you saved her sister from something terrible."

Harry nodded. Raising his eyes to look at Fleur, he bowed his head slightly. "Fleur, anything I could do I was glad to do."

Fleur kissed his cheeks again before returning to her sister. "Well," Ginny said dryly. "Do I have competition for your affections, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head frantically. "No! I don't even know Fleur…" he stopped as he saw Ginny laughing. "You're not nice," he grumbled.

"Relax," Ginny said kissing his cheek. "I know that you would never cheat on me. You were raised by the Fae, and the Fae take loyalty to their mates to the extreme."

Harry nodded, wincing. "You're not kidding. If a husband cheats on his wife in elphame, he loses his balls, literally."

"What happens to the women?" Ginny asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Madam Pomfrey interrupted their conversation. "It is time for you to receive your scores. You may go, but make sure you return to the castle immediately after the scores are given."

Harry and Ginny made their way out of the tent just as Mr. Bagman raised his hand for silence. "Quiet please," he called. "It is time for the champions to receive their scores."

Mr. Potter used a form of transfiguration to reach the hostages. He was first to reach the hostages and returned just inside the time limit of an hour. Mr. Potter's score is 48 points."

The crowd cheered. Fleur caught Harry's eye and Grinned.

Harry nodded to her and squeezed Ginny's hand. Bagman raised one hand for silence.

Ms. Delacour used the bubblehead charm to reach the hostages. She returned barely within the time limit of an hour. However, the merchief has informed us that she would not have done so had not Mr. Potter rescued her from a pack of grindylows. Her score is 45 points."

The crowd cheered politely. Harry tuned out the rest of the awarding of points as he saw his Mother coming towards him. "You were wonderful Harry," she shrieked, throwing her arms around him.

"Mum," Harry groaned, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

"Vivienne is so proud of you," she whispered. "She said to tell you she was glad you had discovered your aspect."

"Aspect?" Harry whispered back. "What do you mean?"

Lily frowned. "I'm not sure. Vivienne said she would explain later. Now come on," she said as the crowd began to move. "Let's get you back to the castle."

As he walked back to the castle, Harry sighed in relief. _'Two tasks down and one to go.'_

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore watched Harry trudge back to the castle. He frowned. As good as his old wand felt in his hand, he needed the Elder wand back. He had noticed a severe loss of power without it. The realization that part of his power had come from the wand he wielded had been a bitter pill to swallow. However, it was what it was. He needed the wand back. That meant he needed to talk to Harry. _'Besides,'_ he thought. _'If Harry can't be made to see reason, there's always the imperius curse.'_

_**HPC**_

Harry was on his way to dinner when he received the message. A small first year girl caught up with him just as he was about to enter the Great hall.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you after dinner," she said shyly.

Harry frowned. "Did he say why?"

"No, he just said that it was very important."

Harry thought quickly. What could Dumbledore want with him? Mum needed to know about this. "Thank you," he told the first year. "I'll go see him as soon as I get done with dinner. Are you supposed to report back to him?"

The first year girl nodded. "Alright," Harry repeated. "Tell him I can't stay long. I have a meeting tonight at nine to see what the third task is about."

The girl nodded and walked away, leaving Harry standing alone in the hallway. "What's up," Ginny said walking up and kissing him.

Harry quickly explained what was happening. By the time he was done, Ginny's eyes had narrowed. "Do you think it has something to do with the wand? I mean you said you disarmed him. He may want the wand back."

"I don't know," Harry said. "Why wouldn't he have said something before now?"

Ginny shrugged. "I think Lily needs to know about this."

"I was just getting ready to go and tell her."

"I'll do it," Ginny said. "If Dumbledore sees you go to your Mother right after he asked to see you he may suspect something."

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Don't mention it," Ginny said. "Now come on, I'm starving and I'd like to enjoy a meal with my boyfriend."

Harry grinned. "As my lady commands," he said bowing theatrically.

Ginny smiled wickedly at him. "So long as you keep that attitude, we'll have a very good relationship."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore looked up when he heard a knock on his door. "Enter," he called. He frowned as Harry and Lily stepped through the door. "Mrs. Potter?"

"I will not allow you to be alone with my son," Lily's eyes were as cold as a glacier. "I will not allow you to hurt him like you did me."

Dumbledore sighed. "Can't you put that behind you? I did what was necessary for the greater good."

Lily frowned. It was disturbing how much Dumbledore sounded like her Mother. Shaking off that thought, she stared at him steadily. "We will simply have to agree to disagree on that. Now, why do you want to talk to my son? He just completed the second task. I'm sure he'd like to rest before the meeting regarding the third task in a few hours."

"I'd like my wand back, please."

"I can't do that," Harry said.

"My boy, I don't think you understand how important that wand was to me. It is one of a kind, irreplaceable."

"I do understand," Harry said, "but I cannot return your wand because I no longer have it. I have given the wand back to its creator."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Death," he whispered.

"No," Lily said. "The Erlking."

Dumbledore blinked. That was right. The Erlking had said he was the one who had fashioned the wand.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" Harry raised a single eyebrow.

Dumbledore grit his teeth. He could not risk enchanting the boy with his Mother standing right there. Why did she have to come with him anyway? Why did nothing ever go the way it was supposed to anymore? People were so rebellious now days. Hardly anyone listened to him anymore. Didn't people know that he only had their best interests at heart? If he couldn't bewitch the boy into doing what he wanted, he would just have to try something else. "Do you think you could ask the Erlking if I could have the wand back?" he asked politely.

Harry and Lily shared a look. "I do not believe he will give it to you. He said that he was collecting all the artifacts he'd created."

"May I ask why?"

Lily shrugged. "I think he is going to destroy most of them. He said they have caused too much trouble over the centuries.

Dumbledore sighed tiredly. "Very well," he said. "That will be all, for now."

After they had left, Dumbledore sat staring out the window, frowning. Something wasn't right. He was missing something, but what? After a few minutes, he had it. Why was Lily communicating with the Erlking when she knew he was Fae? Did she not remember that it was against the law? More importantly, what was he going to do about it?

_**HPC**_

That evening, Harry made his way down to the quidditch pitch to find out what the third task was going to be. When he reached the pitch, he noticed small hedges about knee high growing at random intervals along the pitch.

"What have they done to it," Cedric groaned stepping up beside Harry. "They've ruined our quidditch pitch."

"Well, what do you think," Mr. Bagman said walking up with Viktor and Fleur. Seeing the look on Cedrics face, he chuckled. "Relax, he said clapping Cedric on the back. "You'll have your pitch back when the task is over. For now, can you tell me what we are building here?"

"Maze," Viktor grunted immediately.

"Very good," Bagman said smiling. "Your task will be to get through the maze, passed the obstacles spread throughout. The first one to reach the center of the maze and retrieve the triwizard cup will receive full marks and be declared the winner of the triwizard tournament."

"What kind of obstacles can we expect," Harry asked carefully.

"That would be telling, wouldn't it," Bagman said wagging a finger at him. "Right, if there are no further questions why don't we go back up to the castle, it's a bit chilly."

As Harry walked back to the castle, he sincerely hoped there were no creatures from Elphame in the maze. Dealing with a giant squid was bad enough. He really didn't want to piss off a pooka.

HPC

"What do you mean you can't go to the Unseelie court?" Vivienne glared at the Erlking. "You said you were looking into it."

"I cannot go because I am now a member of the Seelie court. Argante has forbidden it. I was looking into it, but none of my old connections in the Unseelie court will talk to me."

"Since when do you obey Argante? You never used to pay allegiance to anyone. You were the leader of the Wild Hunt and proud of it."

The Erlking stiffened. "Since she allowed me to join her court. She gave me a chance. You know what I was like before joining the Seelie court. Argante gave me a home there. She trusts me. I will not disobey her by going somewhere she has expressly forbidden me to go."

Vivienne opened her mouth to argue, but closed it without uttering a single word. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. As a member of the Seelie court, it was impossible for him to enter the Unseelie court without arousing suspicion. Morgana had only been able to do it because she was a member of Avalon and the Unseelie court. Letting out an explosive breath, Vivienne leaned back against the wall. "What are we going to do now? We need the Unseelie court to close the portals to Elphame."

"I was thinking," the Erlking said. "Avalon is neutral. A member of that nation would be able to meet with the Unseelie court no problem."

"Are you suggesting that I go? I've never met Nicnivin, but I'm sure Morgana could give me some insight."

"No," the Erlking growled. I think Harry should go."

"What!"

"Hear me out," the Erlking said raising a hand. "He needs to do this. If he is going to be your heir, then you need to trust him with more assignments. You cannot protect him forever."

"Why can't I send Puck or Morgana?"

"Puck is about as far from diplomatic as you can get and if Nicnivin is still in charge, she will undoubtedly feel that Morgana abandoned the plan. She wouldn't trust anything Morgana had to say. Lily can't go because she is not versed enough in our politics. Harry is our only choice."

"I want to talk to Lily before making a decision."

"Absolutely," the Erlking nodded. "Lily has been through enough. I wouldn't suggest asking Harry to do this behind her back."

"Alright then," Vivienne turned towards the door. "If Harry and Lily agree, we'll send Harry to the Unseelie court."

_**HPC**_

Lily flipped through another book. It had to be here somewhere. Voldemort would not have absorbed his horcruxes without a backup plan. She stopped on a page, her eyes skimmed over the text, growing wider as she read. "Could it be?" she whispered. Was it really that simple? Her thoughts were interrupted as Vivienne, Harry, and the Erlking entered library.

"What is it," she said turning to face them.

Vivienne sat down beside her. "We need to talk," she said gently.


	21. Chapter 21 Twenty-one

_**Twenty-one**_

Harry and Ginny dropped out of the sky, landing on the ground with a thud. "Owe," Harry groaned rolling over. "That wasn't fun."

"You're telling me," Ginny said climbing to her feet. "So this is the Unseelie court?"

Harry nodded, looking around. The ground was hard packed stony earth. It was barren, not a blade of grass grew anywhere. Skeletal trees grew in the distance, their leafless branches stretching towards the overcast sky, like grasping arms begging for help. "Charming isn't it," Harry said turning to Ginny.

"Yeah," she said pointing at bat-like things flying overhead. "What are those?"

"No idea," Harry said looking up. The creatures looked like a cross between giant bats and monkeys with the heads of lions. Harry watched as one of the creatures dove down and snatched a small scuttling thing. He fancied he heard the crunch as the jaws of the creature snapped shut.

Ginny watched the bat/monkey thing fly back up into the sky. "What do you mean no idea?" she asked as her eyes tracked the creature.

Harry shrugged. "Not everything in Elphame has a name." He winced as another creature dropped out of the sky and snatched another small scuttling thing. "I really don't like this place."

Ginny nodded in agreement, shivering. "So where do we go from here?"

Harry pointed to a large castle jutting out of a high cliff of rock. "That's where the Unseelie court is located."

Ginny looked up at the castle far above them. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

Harry grinned. "Magic, unfortunately we'll have to walk to the castle. Considering the wildlife flying above us, I don't want to try flying.

Ginny nodded in agreement. "We'd better get moving."

They struck off for the castle, walking side by side. Harry was glad Ginny had stayed in shape and could keep up with him easily. As they walked, Harry thought back to the events that led up to this point.

_**HPC**_

"NO!" Lily shouted. "I WILL NOT LET MY SON GO INTO A PLACE THAT NEARLY KILLED MY MOTHER."

"We have no choice," the Erlking said calmly. "Harry is the only one that can do this."

"If Vivienne doesn't feel confident about going to the Unseelie court, what makes you think that Harry can succeed?" Turning to her son, Lily's voice and expression softened. "I am not trying to drag you down. I know that you can do anything you set your mind to, but Vivienne is over a thousand years old. I do not understand how they think you can do what she could not."

Harry nodded to her. "I think this is a type of training. They want me to become accustomed to being sent on diplomatic missions."

Lily looked at him for several moments. "Do you want to go?"

Harry nodded. "The Erlking is right. If I'm going to be the heir of Avalon, I need to be more active in things." Looking at Vivienne, he lowered his head. "I have failed you godmother. I have failed in my mission to find the descendants of the Fae in Hogwarts. You have given me every opportunity, but if I am honest, I have kept forgetting to look.'

Vivienne walked over and slipped an arm around Harry. "You have not failed me. None of us could have foreseen your transformation into a Fae or your entry into the triwizard tournament. Puck is still trying to find any descendants in the school, but so far all we know about are Ms. Delacour and a strange girl. I believe her name is Luna."

Harry nodded. "He said he wanted me to meet her, but I got distracted."

Vivienne looked at him sternly. "Make sure you meet with her when you get back."

Harry nodded again. "Okay, so how will you hide my absence from Dumbledore?"

"We will be using a fetch. That should fool him for the time you will be gone. We just need a few days to carve a doll in your likeness."

"What about Ginny," Lily said. "She deserves to know what is going on."

"I'll tell her," Harry said. "I'm not going to just up and leave without a word."

_**HPC**_

Harry looked over at Ginny and smiled.

"What?" Ginny asked seeing his glance.

"I was just remembering how you ended up coming on this little trip."

Ginny smiled back, allowing her mind to go back to that day only a week ago.

_**HPC**_

Ginny glared at Harry. "How long will you be gone?"

Harry scratched his head. "I don't really know. Time in Elphame is different sometimes. For you, it should only be about a week or two. For me, it'll only be a couple hours, I think."

"But you don't know?"

"No, like I said, time is funny in Elphame."

"I'm coming with you."

"What! No! You can't."

"I can and I will. Your godmother is making a fetch that will look and act like you. She can do the same for me."

"Ginny, I have no idea how long I'll be gone. It should only be a few weeks, but there's always a slight chance that it could be months or even years. What about your family? Won't they worry about you?"

Ginny leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "You are my family. You, Lily, and Vivienne. You three have treated me more like family than my family has in the last year and a half. You are my boyfriend, and my best friend. I won't let you go into a potentially dangerous situation alone. If we are going to be together, I will be at your side through everything. I'm not going to be the little lady who waits at home for her big strong man to come back."

Harry sighed. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, besides, do you really want to go to the Unseelie court alone?"

"No," Harry said standing up. "Come on; let's go talk to Mum about making another fetch."

_**HPC**_

Ginny looked over at Harry. "You said time was funny here. What if the enchantments on the fetches fail before we get back?"

"Puck is there. He'll renew the enchantments for as long as possible. If they fail, Mum will think of some kind of excuse for us."

Ginny nodded and they continued walking. After climbing a hill, they stopped and looked around.

Looking back at the castle, Ginny saw that it appeared they were no closer than they had been before. "What's going on here?" Ginny asked.

"The three courts are more than just courts. The king or queen of each court has nearly limitless power in their own realm. "Each court reflects the whims of its ruler."

"Nicnivin?" Ginny asked.

Before Harry could answer, he was knocked of his feet. He landed hard on the ground and rolled. "Harry!" Ginny screamed.

Harry looked up to see an indistinct shadowy humanoid thing closing in on her. He flicked his hand, sending a cutting spell at the shadow. The spell passed harmlessly through the shadow, having no effect. "Crap," Harry growled.

Harry started to rush towards her, but another one of the creatures appeared in front of him. "Double crap."

Ginny backed away from the shadow, nearly falling back down the hill. Raising one hand, Ginny shrieked, "Solaris." An explosive wave of light and heat shone from her upraised hand. The shadow creature halted only a few feet from her. It drew away from the sunlight coming from Ginny's hand.

"Harry," Ginny panted. "It's vulnerable to sunlight."

Harry nodded, dodging a swipe from his own shadow creature. Waving a hand, he sent a ball of light hurling at the shadow creature. The shadow ducked, causing the light to miss it by inches. He shot a look at Ginny and frowned.

Ginny was sweating. The artificial sunlight she had conjured was flickering. As he watched, the light died and Ginny collapsed to her knees. The shadow creature immediately began to close in on her once again.

"No!" Harry shouted. Without thinking, he flung out a hand at the shadow. Black shadows extended from his fingers, plunging into the creature. Harry jerked his hand back towards himself.

The shadow creature flew towards him, entering through his mouth and nose. Harry inhaled, feeling an icy coldness spread through his body. Faintly, he heard a low rasping laugh. Harry hurried over to Ginny, flinging out a hand as he ran. More black shadows flew from his fingers and plunged into the creature closing in on Ginny. Harry pulled his hand back towards him, absorbing it. Kneeling beside her, Harry helped Ginny to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

Ginny leaned against him, shaking slightly. "What was that thing?"

"That was a specter. It was a shadow creature that some Fae can create." He frowned. "I don't think Nicnivin is in control anymore."

"Then who is," Ginny looked worried, "and how did you kill that thing?"

"I absorbed it. The specter was a shadow construct. It wasn't real or even sentient. It was created for a specific task. After it had completed its task, it would have ceased to exist. As for who rules the Unseelie court now, I don't know."

"What do we do now?" Ginny asked, biting her lip.

"We keep going," Harry said. "We can't afford to turn back now."

As they began walking again, Ginny looked at Harry speculatively. "You said you absorbed the specter. How did you do that?"

"Fae, more specifically elves, can manipulate one of two aspects, light or shadow. They can also manipulate one out of the four elements. My godmother's are light and water respectively."

"What are yours? I mean you control shadow obviously, but have you found your element yet?"

Harry shook his head. "My element will surface soon. The element and aspect usually manifest close together." Harry frowned. "I never thought I'd have an element. I always believed I was a normal wizard, but now," he shrugged. "I really don't know how to feel. I guess it still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm Fae."

Ginny nodded uncomfortably. What did you say to someone who had their life turned upside down? They were silent for several more minutes. Their eyes could not penetrate far into the gloom. The dim light barely illuminated the ground around them, for which Harry was immensely glad of. The brief glimpses he got of their surroundings made him glad he couldn't see more.

There were human skulls, stripped of their flesh. Mixed in with them were the bones of small animals such as mice, rats, and what looked disturbingly like a baby's skull. Harry frowned and leaned down to get a closer look. His gorge rose as he saw a tiny arm bone. He took a closer look at the skull.

He sighed in relief as he saw the eye sockets were too far apart to be a human or faerie infant. _'Brownie,_' he thought. Not for the first time, Harry wondered if they were doing the right thing, dealing with the Unseelie court. Was it smart to have an enemy that you would constantly have to watch to make sure they didn't stab you in the back? Suddenly, Harry stopped. Tilting his head, he listened.

"What is it," Ginny asked.

"Shh," Harry held up one hand. "Listen." There was the heavy thud of enormous feet coming from up ahead. Each step sounded like a clap of thunder. Ginny looked at Harry, panicked.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Trouble," Harry said. "Look," he pointed straight ahead. The ground was cracking in a straight line, heading straight for them. As they watched, two more enormous footprints appeared. Harry felt trickles of sweat running down his spine. He felt Ginny moving closer to him.

"Why can't we see it," she whispered. "Something that big, we should be able to see what it is if we can see its footprints."

Harry scratched his head. "It must be glamour," he whispered back. It can do more than change someone's appearance. It can also be used to hide something you don't want scene."

"So how do we break it? We can't fight something we can't see."

"I'm thinking."

"Well think faster," Ginny hissed.

'_Most glamour can only be broken by mixing certain herbs and then spreading the mixture over an eye,_' Harry thought frantically. _'Wait a second,_' Harry reached into his pocket and drew out a small four-leaf clover made of silver. Intricate runes had been etched into the surface of the clover and it was omitting a soft violet glow.

"What is that?" Ginny asked.

"Our life saver," Harry said. Drawing back his arm, Harry threw the four-leaf clover into the creature's path. He and Ginny waited with bated breath as the footsteps drew closer and closer. The creature was so close now that each footstep sounded like a cannon blast. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. There was a deafening snort. Harry and Ginny felt a hot breath bathe their faces.

An ear splitting bellow of rage and pain filled the air. There was a blinding flash of violet light and the glamour protecting the creature was shredded. For a split second, Harry wished the glamour had held.

The thing towered over them. It was at least twenty feet tall. Its body was covered with thick grey bony plates like armor. Eyes as yellow as piss and the size of serving platters glared down at them.

Ginny stared at the stilt-like legs only a few feet away. Her gaze slowly traveled up to the two clawed hands clenching and unclenching above them. _'Each finger has to be nearly as thick as a man's wrist. How do we fight something like that?_' The creature opened its mouth and bellowed again, revealing pointed brown teeth nearly a foot in length. "What is that thing," Ginny hissed.

"Ogre."

"An ogre?" Ginny squeaked. "I thought they were all killed in the Fae/wizard war centuries ago?"

"Me to," Harry said, "but I guess we were both wrong."

The ogre roared and lunged at the two teens. Harry grabbed Ginny and leapt backwards. "Crap," Harry shouted. The ogre's foot crashed down where Harry and Ginny had been. Frantically, Harry reached into his shirt, and pulled out the knife that Ginny gave him for Christmas.

"Grow," Harry said hurriedly. The six inch knife shimmered, and in its place, was a three foot long sword. Gripping the hilt, Harry readied himself to charge at the ogre. "Are you nuts?" Ginny shrieked. That thing is four times your size. It'll swallow you."

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"No."

Harry reached into his pocket and drew out the silk cap he'd gotten from his Mother. "Stay here?" he shouted to Ginny. Slipping on the cap, Harry concentrated on rising into the air.

With a scream of surprise, Harry shot high into the sky. As he rose, information flooded his mind. He suddenly knew how to use the cap. _'Wow,_' he thought. _'Mum does good work._' Steadying himself, he hovered high above the ogre. Lying flat in the air, he dove down sword pointing at the Ogre's eye.

The ogre watched the little man flying towards him. It was time to eat. Sure, this little thing wouldn't be much more than a swallow, but it was a start. He swung one massive hand at the tiny man, but he dodged his swing. He felt a stinging pain in his left cheek and howled in fury. How dare that insignificant little creature stab him? He would show him. Roaring, he stamped forward, swinging his hands wildly.

Harry ducked and wove, avoiding each swing. Diving down, he slashed at the Ogre's eye once again.

The ogre snarled as he saw the tiny sword swinging at its eye. The ogre jerked his head back, narrowly avoiding being stabbed in the eyes. Growling in frustration, he opened his mouth wide, and breathed in sharply.

Harry watched a minute drop of blood appear where the tip of the sword had grazed the ogre's cheek. This would never do. He was just too small to do any real damage to such a massive beast. He looked down at Ginny, who was staring at the ogre fearfully. He couldn't allow the ogre to harm her. He had to do something, but what? His musings were interrupted when he felt a powerful suction. Looking down, he saw the ogre staring up at him and inhaling.

_'Damn,'_ Harry thought. He struggled to break free of the inhalation that was slowly drawing him towards the Ogre's mouth.

Ginny stared up at Harry. He was going to be eaten and there was nothing she could do about it. _'Think thing,'_ she screamed mentally. _'You can't just sit there and let him get eaten.'_ Looking up at Harry, she shouted; "Harry, make the sword grow again."

Harry was just beginning to enter the Ogre's mouth, when he heard Ginny's scream. _'That's it, she's right,'_ he thought jubilantly. Gripping his sword tightly, he began to say "Grow," repeatedly. Each time he uttered the word 'Grow,' the sword grew six times its original size. He continued shouting the word as he was sucked into the ogre's throat.

"No," Ginny shrieked as Harry disappeared into the Ogre's mouth. She watched horrified as the Ogre closed his mouth. No sooner had his jaws clicked shut, than its bottom jaw split in two with a crunching squelching sound. The blade of an enormous sword appeared, sticking out of the ogre's jaw. It began to fall, splitting the ogre from his bottom jaw all the way down to his feet. With a sickening splat, the ogre fell apart, collapsing into a pile of bloody meat.

Ginny began to run towards the dead Ogre even before the gore had stopped twitching. "HARRY!" she shouted stopping beside what was left of the Ogre. Some of the creature's organs shifted, and a bloody Harry Potter rolled away from the remains. Ginny looked down at her boyfriend, who was covered from head to foot in Ogre guts. Not caring in the slightest, Ginny threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

Harry hugged her back, just as tight. "That was close," he murmured into her ear.

Stepping back, Ginny looked at him critically. "Are you alright."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, the sword cut him in half before I reached his stomach." He frowned at her. "Did you know that would work?"

"No," Ginny said. "Did you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not for sure, it stood to reason that it would, but Elven blades are not my specialty. Which reminds me," he gestured with one hand and the sword rose out of the ogre's remains and returned to his hand, shrinking as it came.

Waving her hand, the mess covering him vanished. With another wave, his rumpled clothes were as good as new. "There," she said smiling. "Now you don't smell like arse."

"Thanks Gin," Harry said gratefully. Turning back towards the castle, he took her hand. "Come on, we have a queen to visit."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore paced his office, his mind in turmoil. Something was wrong. He could feel it, but the problem itself continued to elude him. There was something different about Harry Potter. He could sense a strange magic around him.

For the past two weeks, Dumbledore had been watching Harry closely. It was true, he still acted normal and he still spent time with Ms. Weasley mostly, but there was something off. Dumbledore had performed countless detection charms, but they all came up normal.

Not for the first time, he wished he hadn't tried to hex the boy. He'd lost his temper and he'd paid for it dearly. Had he controlled his impulses better, he would still have the Elder Wand. He was sure that with its power he'd have been able to get to the bottom of this new mystery. Maybe it was time to have a talk with Mrs. Potter.

_**HPC**_

Lily closed the book she was reading and looked over at Vivienne. "Shouldn't Harry and Ginny have been back by now? It's been two weeks."

Vivienne shrugged. "I don't know. Time may be flowing differently in the Unseelie court than it is here. I keep Avalon's time in sync with earth' unless strictly necessary. It makes traveling between the two a lot less tiring, but the Unseelie don't deal with humans much."

"Do you think they are alright?" Lily asked biting her lip.

"I hope so," Vivienne said. "If she'd been willing, I would have much rather sent Morgana to talk to the Unseelie queen.

_**HPC**_

Harry and Ginny landed on the rocky ledge. They slowly approached the castle. They stopped before a pair of solid steel gates. They looked at each other. "Are you ready?"

Ginny looked back at the gates, frowning. "I thought Fae didn't like iron."

"That's not iron, it's steel."

Ginny opened her mouth to point out that steel was mostly iron, but froze as the gates silently swung open. "Okay," she said. "That's more than a little ominous."

"It looks like we're expected. Come on, we don't want to disappoint," Harry said taking her hand. "Let's go." The two stepped through the gates cautiously. There was a crash behind them as the gates slammed shut. Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said loudly. "Could you get anymore cliché? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you guys had started watching mortal horror movies."

A soft rasping laugh echoed through the courtyard. "Very funny, little man," a hoarse voice said. "I will enjoy rending the flesh from your bones."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Harry said trying to keep his voice calm. "I bet you say that to all the guys that come into your court."

Harry looked around the courtyard. Poles at least ten feet high sat throughout the courtyard. At the top of each pole, a severed head was perched. Each set of eyes seemed to follow Harry and Ginny as they walked towards the castle doors. Rivulets of fresh blood dripped down the poles to pool on the ground at their bases. Glaring around him, Harry shouted; "You really need a new decorator."

Ginny opened her mouth to tell Harry to shut up, but she never got a single word passed her lips. Darkness seemed to surround them. There was the brief sound of clashing swords, and screams of dying men. When the darkness and screams faded, they were somewhere else.

Ginny could feel stone beneath her feet. She could sense wide open space around her, but no matter how hard she strained her eyes, she could see nothing.

"Welcome, prince of Avalon," a voice said from right in front of them. "Since you were so eager to talk, I decided to bring you straight to me."

A soft green glow lit up the room. It had no visible source, but seemed to come from everywhere. Harry could barely make out a pale figure reclining on a throne of human bones. Harry could see arm bones, skulls, finger bones, and too many more to count, all interlocked to form strange designs that hurt his eyes if he looked at it for too long. As he watched, the figure raised one emaciated hand in greeting. It reached over and there was a ripping sound. When its hand reappeared, it held up a glistening chunk of meat. As they watched, the figure took a bite out of the meat. Blood trickled down its pointed chin, staining the black robe draped around it.

Taking a deep breath, Harry cleared his throat. "Hello," he said a bit unsteadily. "Are you Nicnivin?"

"No," the figure rasped. "I am the new ruler of the Unseelie court. Nicnivin has been deposed." The glow around them brightened, throwing the figure upon the throne into sharper focus.

A tall woman reclined elegant upon the bone throne. Harry stared at her coal black hair, blood red lips, and black eyes in recognition. "Morrigan," he whispered.

As her eyes fell upon him, the Morrigan smiled. "Harry," she croaked. "It has been a while."

Ginny leaned close to him. "You know her?"

Harry nodded. "She came to Avalon a few years ago. I don't know why. Hundreds of years ago, she was worshipped by the Celtic peoples as a goddess of death and slaughter."

The Morrigan laughed. "You always did have a way with words, boy. If this were a few centuries ago, you would've made an excellent bard." She paused, her thin lips twisting into a snarl. "Unfortunately, that time has passed. The world has been overrun by man and his technology." That sentence was spat as if it tasted fowl in her mouth. "Their technology will be the death of their world; you mark my word, boy."

Harry nodded. "It is man I have come to speak with you about Queen Morrigan."

The Morrigan studied him speculatively. "Continue," she hissed.

"My Grandmother Morgana Le Fay came to visit the previous queen about fifteen hundred years ago. She wanted to close the gates of Elphame. However, it takes the royals of all three courts to close the gates."

"I remember that visit. I also remember that your Grandmother vanished not long after that. A few centuries later, we were in a war with the wizards. A suspicious person might think she betrayed us to the mortals."

"No milady," Harry said quickly. "She left to protect my Mother."

"You're Mother?" The Morrigan reached over, and there was another loud ripping sound. A faint moan accompanied the sound. This time when they could see her hand again, she was holding a spider leg about a foot long. Harry's stomach dropped as he realized that the leg was still twitching.

"I heard about her," the Morrigan said taking a bite of the leg. "She was the last changeling left in the mortal world." Seeing Harry's discomfort as she chewed the spider leg, the Morrigan chuckled. "I said Nicnivin had been deposed, not killed. Now she 'serves' me every single day."

It took a second for Harry to work out what she meant, but when he did, he nearly vomited. By the look on Ginny's face, she wasn't far behind. He watched as the Morrigan brought the twitching leg to her mouth and took another bite. As she chewed, she smiled at the two teens.

"You were saying something about closing the gates," she asked casually, as if they were discussing the matter over a cup of tea.

"Yes," Harry choked. "We need you to close the gates. Can we count on your help?" He winced as the Morrigan tore another chunk of meet out of Nicnivin, causing the fallen queen to scream.

"What's in it for me?"

Harry gulped. "You would never have to see humanity again. Our world would be truly closed off to those not of Fae blood."

"Interesting," the Morrigan purred. The court was silent for several moments, save for the moans of Nicnivin. Then, the Morrigan moved. With a wave of her hand, the green glow blazed up bringing the entire room into view.

Behind the throne, Nicnivin had been pinned to the wall with long silver daggers. What was left of her spider legs twitched uncontrollably? "Look," the Morrigan said. "Look at the former queen."

Nicnivin looked up at them. Most of her spider legs had been torn away. Blood and green pus oozed from gaping wounds where they had once been. There was no sign of a face, only a dirty skull and two bloody holes where her eyes had been. "Do you see?" the Morrigan growled.

Harry and Ginny nodded. "Yes," they murmured.

"I will help you, but if you betray me, you will end up just like Nicnivin, do you understand?"

Before they could respond, there was a blinding flash of light. "That's enough," a voice said from behind them.

Harry and Ginny both spun around. A woman stood behind them. Her sea green eyes were fixed upon the Morrigan.

"Argante," the Morrigan hissed. "To what do I owe the pleasure? You did not seek an audience, so you don't have my permission to be here. This could be seen as a declaration of war."

Harry gasped as he heard who this newcomer was. _'What is the queen of the Seelie court doing here?'_

"I will not allow you to harm these two children."

"What are they to you, Argante? The boy I can understand, but the girl, what do you care about a mortal child?"

"She matters," Argante snapped, "because she is my Granddaughter."


	22. Chapter 22 Twenty-two

_**Twenty-two**_

A stunned silence had fallen at Argante's words. They seemed to echo around the room. "She is my Granddaughter." Harry looked over at Ginny to see how she was taking this news.

Ginny felt numb. _'I am the Granddaughter of the Seelie queen? How is this possible? My family has been pureblood for generations.'_ Looking over at Harry, their eyes met. "How?" she whispered. "How is this possible?

"I'd like to know that myself?" The Morrigan rasped. "How is this possible? I was under the impression that Fae didn't leave changelings in the mortal world anymore, or am I mistaken?"

Argante stiffened. "You are not mistaken. As a general rule, we do not leave changelings in the mortal world anymore, but there are exceptions to every rule."

The Morrigan let out a rasping laugh. It echoed round the room, sounding like bones rubbing against each other. "You Seelie Fae sicken me. You pretend to be all high and mighty, but you have never been above stealing children, and yet, you call us the villains."

Argante's sea green eyes flashed. "We never exchanged a child without the parent's knowledge and consent."

"What parent would willingly give up their children hmm? What did you threaten them with and why did you want the children. What, did you want a boy toy you could train up from a young age?"

A soft white glow had begun to surround Argante. Her hands were clenched into fists, and a muscle in her jaw twitched spasmodically. _'I must control myself. I can't rise to her taunts. That's exactly what she wants. I just have to stay calm. If I attack her, that is a declaration of war, and we cannot afford that at the moment.'_ Taking a deep breath, Argante stared straight into the Morrigan's eyes.

"I never threatened them," she said slowly. "For your information, the Weasley family had just lost a child. My firstborn was magically stunted. As you know; those Fae with weak or no magic are usually the first to be killed. I didn't want that for my child, so I switched my child with the dead one and the Weasleys never knew the difference thanks to the Glamour and blood magic I'd performed."

The Morrrigan chuckled. "So your line is still intact. This is perfect. What is to stop me from killing your Granddaughter right here and now?"

Argante's eyes flashed again. "Touch her, and you will die," she growled.

"Oh, protective, are we? Do you really think you can stop me from killing the girl if I want? I, who was feared and worshipped as a goddess, while you," she sneered. "Well, hardly anyone knows your name, do they?" She paused to let those words sink in before continuing. "Remember, I can draw on the power of my court. You cannot. While you are here, you're cut off from your court."

Argante's hands were wreathed in blue fire. "Recognition isn't everything, Morrigan," she said softly. "I was never well known because I chose not to be, do not mistake that for weakness. As for having my court to draw power from, I don't need the extra power to kill an insane sociopath like you." Quick as a flash, Argante flung out a hand.

There was a burst of light, a scream, and the smell of cooking meat. When the light cleared, the mutilated body of Nicnivin was gone. All that was left where the former queen had once been was four melted silver daggers, and a large pile of ash, slowly drifting to the floor. "Rest in peace, Nicnivin," Argante murmured bowing her head.

"You destroyed my meal," the Morrigan hissed. "I will eat your soul for that. GUARDS," she roared.

Instantly, seven grey skinned Fae appeared in the room. Their empty black eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the Morrigan. In their hands, each Fae gripped a long elven dagger. The Morrigan gestured to Harry and Ginny. "Kill the children."

"Wait!" Harry said hurriedly. "What about our deal. You said you'd help close the gates of Elphame."

"Yes, I did," the Morrigan said smiling wickedly, "but you don't have to be alive, do you?" The dark Fae stepped towards Harry and Ginny.

Harry drew his elven blade and readied himself for a fight. Argante stepped forward to help, but the Morrigan was suddenly right in front of her. "No," she hissed into Argante's face. "You will be dealing with me."

"Has it truly come down to this?" Argante sighed. "I never wanted to fight you. Violence without cause is pointless. You and I have no cause to fight. I have done nothing to you and you have done nothing to me that I'm aware of. Please," she said, clasping her hands before her. "Stop this before someone gets killed."

In answer, the Morrigan gestured with one hand. Skeletal hands burst from the ground, wrapping their bony fingers around Argante's ankles.

Argante vanished, reappearing behind the Morrigan. Turning her hand palm outward, she made a pushing gesture. The Morrigan went flying through the air, slamming face first into the stone wall opposite.

She was on her feet again in a flash. "I will crush you," she roared, blood running down her face from her clearly broken nose. Whipping her hand through the air, a rope of ebony flame flew towards Argante.

Calmly, Argante flicked her fingers, as if she were shaking water from them. The floor in front of her split, and a wall of rock rose up in front of her, stopping the flames. She watched calmly as the flames licked the stone. The rock glowed with the heat of the fire, but didn't melt.

_**HPC**_

Harry dodged the blade of the first dark Fae, but was nearly beheaded by the other. Luckily, Ginny managed to disarm a third Fae with a disarming hex. She caught the dagger neatly and hamstrung the Fae that Harry was fighting. The Fae dropped to the floor, screaming in agony.

"Thanks," Harry panted.

"Don't mention it," Ginny said, kicking the screaming Fae in the head as hard as she could. The screaming immediately stopped and the Fae slumped to the floor, unconscious. "One down, six to go."

"That's the spirit," Harry said, catching a charging Fae in hands of shadow. Closing his hands, the shadowy hands snapped shut. There was a wet crunching sound. The Fae gurgled and was silent. When the shadowy hands relaxed, gore splashed to the stone floor. "Five to go," he said turning to Ginny. His eyes widened as Ginny pulled her dagger out of the crotch of a Fae. The Fae crumpled up and dropped to the floor. Swiftly, Harry stepped over and slit the Fae's throat.

"Four to go," she said panting slightly.

_**HPC**_

Argante deflected another wall of ebony flame. She waved her hand, and a blue fireball flew through the air. It stopped right in front of the Morrigan's nose.

"Humph," the Morrigan snorted. Smiling devilishly, she blew on the flames. The fire turned black as pitch and flew back towards Argante.

"Crap baskets," Argante snapped, dropping to the floor to avoid the flames. Reaching out with her power, Argante concentrated on the rock beneath her feet. The rock flowed up her body, covering her in stone armor.

Running forward, Argante punched the Morrigan square in the face. She felt rather than heard the Morrigan's jaw break. The Morrigan let out a howl of pain along with a spray of blood. She struck back, her fist colliding with Argante's stone covered chest.

Argante's eyes widened as she felt the impact. Armor or no, she was sure two of her ribs were broken. She flew backwards and smashed into the Morrigan's bone throne. The throne shattered chips of bone flying through the air.

Argante climbed painfully to her feet. Raising her hand, the rock armor flowed down her arm, and flew off her hand, becoming a razor sharp stone disk as it left her fingertips. The disk spun through the air, missing the Morrigan, but neatly decapitating one of the remaining Fae fighting Harry and Ginny. "You missed," the Morrigan hissed.

Argante scowled. _'What can I do,'_ she thought. _'I need a plan and fast. My strength is waning and the Morrigan seems not to have even broken a sweat.'_ "This is not over yet," she shouted at the Morrigan.

A burst of concentrated light flew from Argante's hand. The light engulfed the Morrigan, who began to scream. The smell of cooking flesh and burning hair filled the air. When the light faded, Argante saw that half the Morrigan's face had been burned away. One eye had been melted out of its socket, and the skin on that side of her face was gone, revealing a slightly charred skull. The Morrigan let out a hissing snarl.

"I will make you suffer," she lisped, what remained of her lips obviously not working right. "Your torment will traumatize generations."

Argante stared at what she'd done. Her eyes widened as the Morrigan's ruined face began to heal. New skin suddenly appeared to cover the bone. The burned hair fell out to be replaced with new undamaged hair. The melted eye seemed to reflate, like air being pumped into a beach ball. Within seconds, the Morrigan was as good as new. She smiled at Argante. "Did you forget that I am the queen of the Unseelie court? As long as I am queen, I can use the power of the court to repair any damage done to me."

_'Great. Now what am I going to do. I forgot that the royals were nearly impossible to defeat in their own courts. I've been in my court for too long. I've gotten too used to having the extra power to draw from when necessary, but here, I don't have that. If she beats me now, she will control the Seelie court as well as the Unseelie. What am I going to do now?'_

The Morrigan began to walk slowly towards Argante. "It is time to end this I think?" Stepping in front of the exhausted queen, the Morrigan raised her hand. "Goodbye, Argante, I will not mourn your passing." Still smiling, she unleashed a torrent of ebony fire right into Argante's face.

Argante felt the heat of the flames singe her eyebrows off. She watched helplessly as the flames rushed towards her. _'Goodbye granddaughter, I am sorry I never got to know you.' _

A wall of water rose up before Argante, blocking the flames. There was a hiss as the water evaporated into steam, but the flames were gone.

"I will not allow this fight to continue, Morrigan," a voice said from behind Argante. "I challenge you for control of the Unseelie court."

Both Argante and the Morrigan looked around, startled. "Who dares," the Morrigan hissed.

Morgana Le Fay stood behind them. Her red hair floated behind her, and her golden green eyes flashed with fury. "You," the Morrigan hissed.

"Me," Morgana snapped. "It is time to end this. Do you accept my challenge or not?"

_**HPC**_

Harry and Ginny ducked the blades of the remaining Fae. "What are we going to do now?" Ginny asked. "We're still outnumbered and I don't think they'll let me stab them in the nuts again, do you?"

"I'm thinking,' Harry said.

"You always stay that when we're in trouble."

"Wait," Harry said suddenly. "I have an idea. Conjuring a boomerang shaped blade, Harry threw it at one of the approaching Fae.

The boomerang zipped passed the Fae's ear. "Ha," the Fae called. "You missed.

Harry grinned. Reaching out with his magic, he called the boomerang back to him. As it traveled through the air towards him, the boomerang caught the Fae who had spoken in the back of the head, nearly cutting his head in two. The twitching body slumped to the floor, a pool of blood spreading across the stone.

Harry turned to help Ginny, but she had already used the distraction to slip around behind one of the Fae and sever in spine. The Fae dropped to the floor, his arms and legs twitching uncontrollably.

The two remaining Fae looked at Harry and Ginny for several seconds before charging. Concentrating, Harry caught each Fae in a shadow hand, and slammed them together as hard as he could. There was a sickening crunch, and the two Fae slumped. Whether unconscious or dead, Harry didn't know. All he knew was that the fight was over for now.

_**HPC**_

"Why should I risk my court in a fight with you?" the Morrigan growled.

"Do you accept my challenge or not? I don't have time for your apparent cowardice."

The Morrigan sneered at her. "Cowardice?" she hissed. "You ran away from the Seelie court because of a disagreement with the former king and you call me a coward?"

Morgana sneered right back. "I left to protect my daughter not myself." Relaxing, she grinned. "Can I assume that you do not accept my challenge? So you are a coward? Is that what you are telling me? I wander how your court will react when they find out?"

The Morrigan scowled. "You do not rule a court anymore, Morgana. What do you have to offer if I win?"

"I offer myself," Morgana said calmly. "You know how powerful I am. I would make a good ally. If you win, I will swear fealty to you. How does that sound?"

The Morrigan grinned. "I could use a new meal. I made Nicnivin last for almost five hundred years and I would've been able to make her last longer had not the Seelie bitch killed her."

If Morgana was affected by this statement, she didn't show it. "Do we have a deal?"

The Morrigan laughed. "Oh yes," she said silkily. "If you can kill me, you will rule the Unseelie court. However, if you lose consciousness during our battle, I win. You will be my next meal for as long as you last. Do you agree?"

"No, Morgana, don't do it," Argante called. "You have no idea what you're getting in to."

Morgana didn't seem to hear her. "Agreed," she said. She turned to Argante. "Get the children out of here."

Argante's shoulders slumped. There was no point in arguing now. The deal had been made. Morgana was looking at her. "Didn't you hear me?" she asked impatiently. "Get going."

"But," Harry and Ginny said together.

"No buts," Morgana said. "The Morrigan has already proven we can't trust her. I need to be able to concentrate on our battle. I can't do that if you are here."

"I'll take care of them. I think Ginny and I need to have a talk anyway."

"Good," Morgana said. "I will join you as soon as I can."

Argante walked over to Harry and Ginny. Wrapping an arm around each of them, she looked back at Morgana. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Morgana said. Without another word, Argante vanished, taking Harry and Ginny with her.

The Morrigan smiled at Morgana. "I will give you one last chance to back out of this. Walk away and I won't eat you."

"No," Morgana said softly. "I can't do that."

The Morrigan looked at her confused. "Why?" she asked finally. "Why are you doing this? You have saved your Grandson and his friend and I have given my word to help you close the gates of Elphame. Why would you continue to fight me?"

"Because Elphame needs to be united again if we are to survive. The rulers before have been unwilling to do this, due to conflicting views, but Argante and Vivienne are willing to make their courts allies. You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"The Unseelie court needs no one," the Morrigan hissed.

"See, that's what I thought," Morgana continued calmly. "The Unseelie court has always been the court of outcast Fae. The one's that the Seelie court did not want. Avalon would've taken them, but it only came into existence a little over two thousand years ago. In Fae terms, it is a new court. It is time that all Fae were welcomed into all courts. All courts being allies is the first step to that."

The Unseelie Fae will never trust the Seelie. They have been rejected too many times. Besides, there are monsters here that the Seelie and Avalon would never accept."

"Perhaps so," Morgana said. "Perhaps the three courts can only coexist in an uneasy peace. Nevertheless, you have proven that we cannot trust you. To close the gates of Elphame, we need an Unseelie ruler we can trust, not one that will stab us in the back at the first opportunity."

The Morrigan chuckled. "You think you can rule the Unseelie? Have you forgotten that your husband is Seelie?"

Morgana shook her head. "I have not forgotten. He has agreed to leave the Seelie court to be with me. Since Avalon is independent of both the Seelie and Unseelie, I will be able to see my daughter as much as I want."

"You really think it'll be that easy?"

"No," Morgana said softly, "but then again nothing worth having ever is."

The Morrigan looked at Morgana speculatively. "You aren't quite as foolish as I'd thought. I will mourn your death. You will have been a worthy opponent."

Morgana bowed to her. "Shall we begin?"

The Morrigan nodded. With a gesture, the Morrigan send shadowy swords and daggers flying towards Morgana.

Morgana gestured, and a shadowy shield rose up and absorbed the weapons. The Morrigan laughed. "Not bad," she said smiling slightly.

"Thanks," Morgana said, sending a barrage of icy spikes towards the former goddess. The Morrigan nimbly dodged the spikes.

The two women circled each other, both waiting for an opening. The Morrigan sent ebony flames roaring towards Morgana. A wall of shadow rose up and absorbed the flames. The shadowy wall shifted into a dragons head and spat the flames back at the Morrigan.

The flames struck her, sending her flying back into the remains of her throne. More chips of bone went flying. Morgana felt one of the chips of bone slice her cheek. A small trickle of blood ran down her face.

The Morrigan slowly got to her feet, seeming not to have been hurt by the flames. "Not bad," she panted, "but this is far from over."

Morgana was not ready for the gust of wind that lifted her off her feet and hurled her across the room. She saw stars as the back of her head connect with the stone wall behind her. She lay there for several seconds, stunned. Slowly, she rose to her feet. _'This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.'_

_**HPC**_

Harry, Ginny, and Argante crashed to the floor in Lily's quarters. Harry groaned. "A little warning next time." He slowly rolled over and got to his feet.

"My apologies," Argante said, helping Ginny to her feet. "I wanted to get out of there before the fireworks started."

Ginny stared up at Argante. "Is it true?"

Argante smiled down at her, and stroked her hair. "Yes, my child, it is true. Your Father is my son. I gave him to the Weasley family to protect him."

"But," Ginny began.

"Harry?" Lily rushed into the room. "Are you alright?" She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Mum, air," Harry gasped. Lily slackened her grip, but did not release him.

"What happened? Did you get the queen of the Unseelie court to agree to help us?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know if she'll help or not. Can you call godmother here? We have some things to tell you."

_**HPC**_

An hour later, Harry and Ginny had explained all the details of their trip to the Unseelie court. Vivienne and Lily stared at them. "So," Vivienne said. "Morgana is fighting for control of the Unseelie court?"

Harry nodded, frowning. "Can she do that? I mean, she has no hereditary link to the Unseelie court does she?"

"Our Grandmother was an Unseelie aristocrat that left the court, so we do have Unseelie blood in us. To the Unseelie, that's all that matters. Our lineage is close enough to the royal bloodline so that the Unseelie won't mind too much."

"Morgana wants to rule them?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

"I don't think she wants to rule them forever. I think she wants to use them to close the gates. What she'll do after that, I have no idea."

"Can she win?" Lily asked.

Vivienne ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. I hope so. The Morrigan will probably not be too willing to help us after being challenged."

"I guess all we can do is wait and hope for the best," Harry grumbled. Looking over at his Mother, he saw a solitary tear roll down her cheek. "Mum?"

"I was so angry with her," Lily whispered. "I told her I didn't know when or if I could forgive her. What will I do if she doesn't make it?"

The room was silent for several moments. Finally, Vivienne walked over and slipped an arm around Lily's shoulders. "You had every right to be upset with her," she said gently. "I don't know of anyone who would have just accepted what she did, but she'll be back. My sister is extremely hard to kill and very stubborn. We'll be welcoming her as the new Unseelie queen in no time."

Sniffling, Lily pulled away from Vivienne. "Thanks," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Don't mention it," Vivienne said. Turning to Harry, she continued. "We need to get you ready. The third task is in a week."

Harry nodded. "What about Luna?"

"Puck has arranged for you to meet her tomorrow. He has searched the school and he is positive that Luna is the only descendant of the Fae here."

"Are we sure that he didn't miss anyone? I mean Argante's blood magic kept us from finding Ginny."

Vivienne frowned. She turned to Argante. "My queen," she said. "Would you mind looking for any more descendants of the Fae in this school?"

"No," Argante said gently. "I'll be happy to help..."

"Thank you, my queen," Vivienne said bowing.

_**HPC**_

Morgana lay on the cold stone floor. She was covered in blood and bruises, her right arm was broken, and she was pretty sure she had a concussion.

"You lost," the Morrigan growled. "Now it's time for you to pay the…"

A bronze blade was suddenly protruding from the Morrigan's chest. She gurgled and convulsed on the sword, then went still. "Never count your eggs before they've hatched," Morgana said chuckling. Gasping, she allowed the conjured sword to dissolve and lay back, exhausted. Her eyes widened as the mortally wounded Morrigan began crawling towards her.

"I may die," the Morrigan rasped, "but I'll take you with me."

"You really don't accept losing do you?" Morgana quipped. She began to struggle violently as the Morrigan's icy fingers closed around her throat.

"Now," the Morrigan hissed into her face. "You will die."

Clenching her good hand into a fist, Morgana drove it forward with all her strength. The Morrigan's head snapped back and Morgana felt rather than heard her neck break. The Morrigan's grip on her throat tightened painfully, and then relaxed. Morgana shoved the body off her and crawled away from it. _'That was close,'_ she thought. Her head snapped up as she heard footsteps approaching. _'Great, now what?'_ A figure stopped above her. Morgana looked up and her eyes widened.

"You," she whispered. "How did you get in here?"

Puck smiled down at her. "Hello, Morgana," he said as he knelt down. "Do you need a hand?"


	23. Chapter 23 Twenty-three

_**Twenty-three**_

Morgana blinked at Puck. She staggered and Puck gripped her shoulder to hold her upright. "What are you doing here?" she repeated.

Pucks smile faded. "I'm here to help."

Morgana frowned. "Help how?"

Puck grimaced. "I'm really sorry, but this has to look convincing."

"Sorry?" Morgana asked. "What are you sorry for? What has to look convincing?"

Pucks fist smashed into Morgana's head. She crashed to the floor without a sound.

"You'll understand soon. I hope you can forgive me." Kneeling, he started to gather her in his arms, but froze as the blade of a sword pressed against the back of his head.

"No one hits my wife," the Erlking growled. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't cut your head in half?"

_**HPC**_

Harry followed Lily down the hall. "Remind me what Puck is doing again?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. He just said he needed to take care of something."

"Where's Grandfather?"

Lily winced. "He said he was going to go see who won the fight."

They were silent as they entered the Great hall. "So where am I going to meet this Luna?" Harry murmured.

"You will meet her this evening right after dinner. Make sure not to scare her. She doesn't know much about the Fae."

Harry nodded. "Right."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore watched Harry enter the hall. This was it. He was going to see what was wrong with the boy once and for all. Drawing his wand, he pointed it at the boy and cast a finite spell. He saw the spell hit the boy, but nothing happened. _'What is going on? The boy's been acting strange for weeks, but he has no spell on him. Am I going mad?'_

James studied Harry and Lily as they talked. He scowled. Lily hadn't spoken to him in weeks. He'd sent flowers, chocolates, and he didn't know how many letters. None of it had done any good. What was he going to do? He didn't want to lose his wife, and more importantly, he didn't want Brian to lose his Mother. Sighing, he turned to talk to Dumbledore. Maybe the old man would know how to fix his relationship.

_**HPC**_

Brian picked glumly at his breakfast. His life hadn't been right for the past two months. He scowled. He'd love to blame his brother for his misfortune, but he couldn't lie to himself anymore. His current situation was due to his own stupidity, but he would make it up to his Mother. He didn't know how yet, but he would find a way.

_**HPC**_

Puck sat very still. "I know what this looks like, but it's not what you think."

The point of the sword pressed more firmly against his skull. A trickle of blood ran down the nape of Pucks neck. "You haven't answered my question," the Erlking said silkily. "Now, I will ask you one more time. Why. Did. You. Hit. My wife. Each word was spoken slowly, as if Puck were a particularly stupid child.

"It had to be done," Puck explained quickly. He didn't know if he could take the Erlking in a fight, but this was not the time to find out. "They would've killed her if she took the throne."

"Talk quickly," the Erlking growled.

"Look," Puck said hurriedly. "Put the sword away so I can explain. If anyone comes in here and sees this, my plan will be blown."

The Erlking's stance relaxed slightly. He slowly sheathed his sword. "What are you talking about? Explain what?"

"Morgana can't be the queen of the Unseelie court. It wouldn't work."

"Why?"

"She may have Unseelie blood, but they would never trust her. She has already left the court once before and so have you."

"What makes you think you can rule?"

"I have moved freely through both courts. Also, I'm a trickster. This court appeals to my essential nature. I can rule it. The Unseelie court trusts me as much as any court does, which is to say not a lot, but if they believe that I defeated the Morrigan; then they will have to accept my rule for now."

"You were defeated by a mortal. What if they know about that?"

"So were you," Puck snapped. "Besides, I doubt they know about that. You know that the Unseelie court hasn't had contact with the mortal world in centuries. Look, "Why are you fighting this? You don't even like me. What do you care if I die in this court?"

"I don't trust you either. How do we know that this isn't your plan all along? As for caring whether you live or die, my daughter and Grandson like you, so I have to keep you alive for that reason, if no other."

"You'll just have to trust me. I would never do anything to hurt Harry or Lily. Harry is the closest thing to a son that I've ever had, but we don't have time to argue. Listen," the two men paused. In the distance, they could hear feet rapidly approaching. "If you're going to do something, do it now," Puck snapped.

Glaring at the trickster, the Erlking stooped and lifted Morgana into his arms. "You had best not betray us, trickster," he growled. "If you do, I will end you." Without another word, he vanished.

No sooner had he gone, than the doors of the court burst open. An army of armored Fae poured into the room. As they entered, Puck raised an eyebrow. "Hello!" he said cheerfully. "Would any of you care to greet your new king?"

_**HPC**_

Voldemort found himself standing in an open space. There was nothing around him. Now floor, no ceiling, and ho walls. He just stood in a great emptiness. Oddly, he was not afraid. He looked down at the scars littering his body. He frowned. Where had those come from? He didn't remember having any scars in his original body.

"Confused, are you?" a voice said from behind him.

Voldemort spun around and gaped. Two yellow eyes floated in the space before him. He swallowed, his stomach sinking. "Who…" he croaked. "Who are you?"

"Did you think sorcery was free? Did you think you could break our deal?"

Voldemort paled. He could've sworn his spells to sever contact with the demon had succeeded. What could he say now? He couldn't deny it. The demon would sense the lie. "I reversed the damage I did to myself," he said finally. "My soul is my own once again, not yours."

The yellow eyes shifted. He glimpsed horns, a long spiked tail, and a malformed claw, and then the image was gone. "Good for you, but our deal still stands. Your soul is still damned. I brought you to this place to prove that to you. Once you make a deal with a demon, it cannot be broken."

Voldemort smirked inwardly. _'We'll see about that,'_ he thought. His attempt to break his deal might have failed, but the demon obviously didn't know about his secret. "My soul might not be coming downstairs as soon as you think," he said calmly.

The demon shimmered into existence. Its clawed hands gripped his shoulders so hard, his collarbones snapped. On the spiritual plane he may be, but he still felt the pain of the breaking bones. The demon leaned so close; Voldemort could smell the sulfuric stench of its breath. "Do not trifle with me, boy. Accept your fate; it will be easier for you."

Voldemort sneered right into the demon's face. "Sorry," he said, his voice dripping with scorn. "I don't know the meaning of the word surrender."

The creature turned away, releasing Voldemort from its hold. "We'll see," it said casually. There was no sign of the anger it'd just displayed. "Just remember, pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

_**HPC**_

Voldemort sat bolt upright in his chair. He was covered in sweat and trembling. Soft afternoon light came in through the grimy windows, but this did nothing to alleviate his fear. Looking around the room, he saw Wormtail curled up before the fire, clearly asleep. Voldemort sighed in relief. He did not want to try and explain why he looked so pale. That was good. Leaning back, Voldemort relaxed into the chair. He wished fervently that he could believe it was a dream, but alas that could never be. He couldn't allow himself the luxury of a lie.

The demon had visited him. Worst yet, it had somehow managed to pull his soul out of his body, which implied that his pact with the demon remained intact. He would just have to hope that his contingency plan was enough. A voice suddenly spoke in his mind making him jump.

"Run all you want, Tom, I'll have you in the end."

"We'll just see about that," Voldemort whispered.

He gestured with one spindly hand. One corner of the room suddenly came into sharp focus. He sighed in relief as he saw the object resting there. He began to scowl again. It was such a small thing to base his hopes of immortality on. This couldn't be enchanted nearly as well as his horcruxes could've been, but at least this didn't run the risk of driving him insane. He would just have to protect it as well as he could. Gesturing again, the corner of the room faded from sight. Sighing, Voldemort cured up in his chair and drifted back to sleep. His last thought before drifting off was that he would live. He had to. He was the wizarding worlds only hope.

_**HPC**_

Morgana groaned. She moved slightly, only to freeze as a bolt of pain shot through the left side of her face. "Wha happened," she slurred.

"Puck knocked you out," the Erlking growled from beside her. "He has now sat himself up as the king of the Unseelie court."

"What!" Morgana sat up quickly, causing another bolt of pain to go through her head. "That little bastard; why would he want to be king of the Unseelie court?"

"Good question," the Erlking grunted. "He says that the court would never trust you again after you left them. He also said that the Unseelie court appealed to his nature, whatever that means."

Morgana frowned. The action made her headache even worse. "Tricksters are…" she struggled to find the right words. "It is unpredictable by nature. The Unseelie court is ever changing. It never stays the same from day to day. He may be right."

"You're just going to let him get away with knocking you out?" the Erlking said incredulously. "Why? Why would you just roll over and take that."

Morgana sighed. "Look, I don't like how it was done, but Puck may be a better ruler than I would. He may actually be able to bring the Seelie and Unseelie together. Miracles can happen, you know."

"I admire your optimism," the Erlking said dryly, "but it will never happen. There is too much animosity between the two courts."

Morgana decided to let the subject drop for now. "So, Puck likes Lily. You know," she said her eyes twinkling. "He may be Harry's stepfather someday."

_**HPC**_

Harry fidgeted nervously. "Relax," Ginny said. "You'll do fine."

"What if she hates me?"

Ginny laughed. "Harry," she said, kissing his cheek. "Luna is not capable of hating anyone. I've known her for years."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but he never got a chance. There was a soft tapping on the door. "Enter," Harry called.

The door opened, revealing a small blond girl, smiling hesitantly. Her silvery blue eyes looked at Harry with what seemed to be a permanently surprised expression. "Harry Potter?" she asked in a soft musical voice?"

Harry nodded. "Yes," he said. "I am Harry Potter. Are you Luna Lovegood?"

The girl nodded. "You had a friend that spoke to me about leaving the wizarding world. He said I would be welcome on Avalon?"

Harry nodded. "You have Fae blood. We are trying to remove all witches and wizards with Fae blood from the wizarding world."

"Why?" Luna asked.

"The Fae are leaving the mortal world for good. They want to make sure all the Fae that want to come to Elphame have the opportunity. This includes half-Fae like you, Ginny and I."

Luna looked confused. "Why are they leaving?"

Harry sighed. "They are tired of the wizards. My godmother had hoped that the animosity caused by the Fae/wizard war would've faded by now, but it is obvious that is not going to happen. The wizards will always hate the Fae."

Luna leaned forward. "What caused the war in the first place?"

Harry shrugged. "The changeling practice was part of it. The Fae used to switch children with willing wizarding families, but the wizards feared that the Fae would eventually switch children without consent. The other part was the Fae's belief that all magical races were equal, so in a sense, you could say it was faults on both sides. The wizards believed that they were superior to all other races, and the Fae did nothing to reassure the wizards that they would not steal their children."

Luna nodded. "Okay."

Harry raised one eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Alright," Luna repeated. "I have no reason to stay in the wizarding world. They bully me here. Will the Fae do that?"

Harry shook his head. "I cannot speak for the Seelie or the Unseelie, but the Fae of Avalon will not make fun of you in any way."

Luna sat silently for several moments. "Can my Father come?"

Harry blinked. "Your Father?"

"Yes," Luna said. "My Mother has passed away. My Father is all I have left. Can he come with me?"

Harry smiled. "Of course! This offer is to give you peace, not to break up your family."

Luna smiled at Harry. Stepping forward, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

Harry patted her on the back awkwardly. "You're welcome."

"When do we leave," Luna asked, stepping back.

"After the third task," Harry said.

"Good," Luna said. "I'll go send a letter to my Father." She turned to leave the room. At the door she stopped and looked back at Harry and Ginny. "You two are surrounded by Rackspurts, did you know?"

As he watched her go down the hall, Harry looked at Ginny. "What are Rackspurts?"

Ginny shrugged. "No clue," she said. "Luna believes in all sorts of strange creatures. Does that bother you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really. We have all sorts of people with strange beliefs on Avalon."

"Good," Ginny said. "Poor Luna doesn't have many friends. I've lost touch with her over the years. I hope you and I can be her friends."

Harry smiled. "We'll be her friends and we'll make sure that no harm comes to her."

Ginny relaxed and smiled at Harry gratefully. "Are you nervous about the third task?" she asked sitting down in a chair.

"A little," Harry said. "Voldemort hasn't done anything yet, so he has to be planning something for the third task."

"Isn't your godmother standing by in case of trouble?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "but she'll have to move fast if she's going to stop Voldemort's plan. The only thing I can hope for is that Voldemort doesn't know I am half-Fae."

"He can't know that," Ginny said soothingly. "Wormtail never knew, so Voldemort doesn't know."

Harry nodded. Ginny was right, of course, but he still had a bad feeling about the third task. Voldemort had an uncanny ability for finding things out that he wasn't supposed to know.

_**HPC**_

He was exhausted. He swung his sword at the masked men around him, ignoring the wounds littering his body and the dull ache in his arms. A sharp pain in his chest made him freeze. He looked down at the long bone spike imbedded in his chest. Blood spilled from the wound, staining his shirt. He stumbled backwards, suddenly feeling so weak. A pale blue light surrounded him. The light brightened, glowing like a miniature sun. There was the smell of ozone. His mouth dropped open and he screamed. The light exploded outward melting the ground around him to glass. There were more screams as the masked men around him were vaporized. Slowly, he fell backward, his body dissolving into ash before it hit the ground.

The Erlking awoke, stifling a scream. His heart was racing and sweat dripped down his body. His breath came in short pants as if he'd been running. Shakily, he rose from his bed careful not to wake Morgana. He walked over to the window and looked out at the night sky. The stars were so beautiful; twinkling like candle flames far off in the darkness.

This was not the first time he'd had that particular dream, but this had been the most vivid yet. He knew what the dream meant. He was dreaming of his own death. It was time to get his affairs in order. It was not wise to believe too strongly in one's dreams, but it would not hurt to be prepared, just in case.

He turned back to face the bed and stared down at his sleeping wife. He would not tell Morgana. It would only upset her. Slipping back in bed, the Erlking put an arm around Morgana and closed his eyes. After a while, he drifted off to sleep.

_**HPC**_

Voldemort fingered the bone in his lap. It was dragon bone, nearly a foot long. The surface was jet black, and seemed to absorb all light in the room. He smiled. The next time he met one of those Fae he would be ready. It would not escape again. Not even a Fae could survive a spear forged from dragons bone and imbued with basilisk venom through the heart.

"Master,' Wormtail said timidly. "I have contacted Lucius.'

"And," Voldemort said.

"He says that he will meet us on the graveyard on the twenty-fourth."

"Good," Voldemort growled. "Now leave me, I have work to do." Wormtail bowed and left the room.

After he'd gone, Voldemort gestured and the object in the corner reappeared. He moved his hand towards himself, and the object floated into the firelight. Voldemort stared at it for a long time.

It was an exquisitely detailed portrait of him at sixteen years old. He'd painted it himself, mixing his blood with the paint, so that the necessary rituals could be performed. The image in the picture looked hard used. The Tom Riddle in the picture was thin, gaunt, and haggard. Scars littered his face and body. One eye was completely gone, and the portraits left arm was a ragged ruin. Voldemort smiled. The enchantments were holding.

This portrait was designed to absorb all the physical and spiritual damage that would've been dealt to Voldemort. So long as the portrait remained intact, Voldemort's life-force would be maintained.

With a snap of his fingers, he sent the portrait back to the corner. There was another failsafe woven into the portrait, but hopefully it wouldn't be necessary. He smiled. The demon that wanted his soul would never have it. He would make sure of that.


	24. Chapter 24 Twenty-four

_**Twenty-four**_

The morning of June twenty-fourth was warm and clear. It was the complete opposite of the icy day in February. As Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, Ginny looked up from her transfiguration text and smiled.

"Nervous?"

Harry smiled back. "A bit. I know what's going to happen in this task, so I should be okay." He loaded his plate with eggs, bacon, and toast.

Ginny took a bite of sausage. "You'll do fine," she said after swallowing. "Vivienne has trained you well and you made your way through the Unseelie court. After that, getting through a maze should be a piece of cake."

"Thanks, Gin," Harry said gratefully.

Ginny nodded and went back to her food. After she'd finished her eggs, she looked back at Harry. "Will Vivienne be coming to this task," she whispered.

"No," Harry whispered back. "Mum's coming, but that's it. Godmother will be standing by just in case I need her."

"Ginny nodded. "That makes sense. Was she able to tell you what was in the maze?"

Harry shook his head. "No, remember, when it comes to games, the Fae are sticklers for fair play."

Ginny looked irritated, "but their risking your life by not telling you."

"I know, but it's our way. If she looks to see what is in the maze, that's cheating. If she cheats it'd dishonor our family."

Ginny's scowl said more clearly than words, what she thought of that idea. However, she said nothing and merely went back to her breakfast.

As they were finishing up breakfast, Brian walked over to them. "Harry," he said quietly.

Harry looked up at his brother warily. "Yes?" he said slowly.

Brian held out a piece of parchment. "Will you take this to Mum?"

Harry stared at the parchment cautiously. "I don't know," he began.

"Please," Brian pleaded. "I swear it's no trick. I just want to say sorry."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Sorry? If you're sorry, why don't you go to her and tell her face to face?"

Brian flushed. "Because I can't find her. I've tried to send her letters with my owl, but I never get a response. My owl just flies away and then comes back a day later with my letter. Either she's not opening my letter, or my owl can't find her."

Harry thought quickly. He considered telling his brother that their Mum would be here today to watch the third task, but decided against it. His Mother would be here. She could always seek his brother out if she desired. "Alright," Harry said. "I'll take it to her."

Brian sighed in relief. "Thanks," he said as Harry took the parchment.

Harry nodded and watched as Brian walked away. After he'd gone, he turned to Ginny. "What do you think?"

"He seemed sincere. He may actually regret what he's done." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "It wasn't his fault, not really. He was probably really young when James talked him into drugging Lily."

Harry nodded. "Maybe there's hope for him after all."

_**HPC**_

Vivienne stood with Lily beside the sea of mists. The mists rolled and shifted like ocean waves. Strange shapes appeared before vanishing again. As they moved, the mists made a strange hissing sound. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have to be there for Harry."

"What if James is there?"

"I can deal with James," Lily said calmly.

"What about Dumbledore?"

"I can deal with Dumbledore," the Erlking said walking up. "You need not worry, Vivienne, I will keep her safe."

Vivienne nodded reluctantly. "You're right, of course. I'm just worrying too much."

The Erlking smiled. "That's fine. One of us has to worry, better you than me."

"I shall also go," a voice said from behind them. The three Fae jumped and spun to see who had snuck up on them.

"Merlin," Vivienne breathed. "You startled us."

"My apologies," Merlin growled.

The Erlking frowned and removed his helmet. He ran his fingers through his short hair. "Why do you want to go?"

Merlin got a faraway look on his face. The glow in his blue eyes seemed to dim. "I was there when Hogwarts was built. It was I who laid the first enchantments on the castle to protect it from the mortals. I wish to see it again before the gates of Elphame are closed forever."

Vivienne smiled at her lover sympathetically before turning back to the Erlking and Lily. "Are you three sure you want to go through the mists? If you aren't concentrating on where you want to go, you will be lost forever."

"We're sure," Lily said. The mists will take less magic than apparating or riding the lines and we'll need all our strength for the battle this evening."

"That reminds me," Vivienne said. "Do we know how Tom survived the destruction of his body?"

"We know that he has tied his soul to something, but whatever it is has been well protected. Only the strongest magic is capable of locating it."

"But you and the Erlking are some of the most powerful Fae in existence. Surely you can find it."

"No," the Erlking growled. "I even called on the Wild Hunt for help, but with no luck. They didn't even catch a trail. Our best hope is to stop him from regaining a body, or baring that, destroy his body and kill all his followers so that he has no one to help him resurrect."

"What if he becomes too powerful for us to defeat?"

"Then we die," Merlin said, "but we die with honor. In the end, that's all any warrior can hope for. When there is nothing left but to die, die well."

_**HPC**_

"Harry," Lily said hugging her son tightly. "How have you been? Are you nervous?"

Harry laughed and smiled at his Mother. "You know you are the second person to ask me that today."

Lily scowled at him. "That doesn't answer my question."

"A bit," Harry said reluctantly. "I'm going to fight the most powerful sorcerer ever. What if I can't win?"

"You will do your best," Lily said firmly. "I have no doubt of that."

"But," Harry began.

"Your best is all anyone can ask of you," Lily interrupted. "Remember, you won't be alone. We'll be right there fighting beside you."

Harry smiled at her again. Reaching into his pocket, he handed Lily the parchment Brian had given him. "Here, this is from my brother. He wanted me to give this to you."

Lily took the parchment and unfolded it. As she read, her eyes filled with tears.

**Mum, **

**I don't believe I have any right to call you that anymore, but calling you by your name seems so disrespectful. I really don't know where to begin, but I want to say that I am so sorry. **

**I know that doesn't excuse my actions, but it's all I can say. When Dad came to me about the potions, I couldn't have been more than three or four. I was selfish. Up until that point I'd been given everything I could ever want. He told me that the potion would make you love me more. He showed me how to slip it into your food and drink and I did. **

**As I got older, it just seemed natural. I realize how sick that sounds, but it's the truth. I didn't realize that I'd done anything wrong until that night. When I saw the way you looked at me, I realized that I'd committed one of the worst sins a child could commit. I'd mind raped my own Mother. **

**Since that night, I've been trying to contact you to say I was sorry. I know that cannot make up for what I did, and I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know that I have learned from my mistakes and I will never do anything like this to anyone ever again. **

**Love **

**Brian **

"Mum?" Harry asked as she folded the letter and tucked it away in her robes.

"It was James," she said hoarsely. "He convinced Brian to drug me when he was three."

Harry's eyes widened. "Three," he whispered.

Lily nodded, sinking down on a chair. "What do I do now?"

The Erlking, who had been silent until this point, stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, but you'll have to talk to him."

"What do I say?" Lily asked sounding like a small child.

"May I make a suggestion," Merlin said walking over to stand beside Lily. At her nod he continued. "Let's get this fight with Tom out of the way first. Once that's done, then you talk to Brian.

The Erlking looked thoughtful. "He's right. You can't afford to focus on that now. You must focus on keeping Harry alive. Brian can wait until tomorrow."

Lily nodded after a moment of thought. "You're right. Turning to Harry, she held out a hand. "Come on; let's make sure you are ready for the task."

_**HPC**_

Wormtail knelt before his master. "You called?"

"Are you ready to complete my resurrection?"

"Yes, what do I need to do first?"

Voldemort smiled revealing his pointed teeth. "You must enter the maze and place the portkey enchantment on the cup."

Wormtail nodded. "I shall do so just before the task, but master, that means I will have to leave you in the graveyard alone."

Voldemort nodded. "Yes, but do not worry. I will be fine, just make sure you get the portkey spell right, and understand?"

"Yes, master. I will not fail you."

Voldemort smiled. "I know you won't."

As he watched his servant leave, Voldemort smiled. Things were falling into place. Wormtail might be a little less than average when it comes to magic, but he was loyal. So long as he gave him clear instructions, Voldemort had no doubt that Wormtail would succeed.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore sat in his office, deep in thought. He glanced over at Fawkes empty perch sadly. Where had his old friend gone? What was he going to do now? He only had one trump card left. He needed Harry to stay in the wizarding world. After the third task, he would make his move. Vivienne might have won a few battles, but he would win the war.

_**HPC**_

Harry stood outside the maze, staring at the tall hedge walls before him. _'Bloody hell,'_ he thought. _'I hope I don't get lost.'_ He jumped as a hand fell on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Fleur smiling at him.

"Are you nervous," she asked.

Harry shrugged. "You?"

Fleur shrugged back and turned to face the maze. Ginny walked up next and kissed his cheek.

"Be careful," she whispered. "Don't do anything stupid."

Harry nodded. "I'll be fine. Now that it's actually here, I'm not worried at all."

Ginny smiled and stepped aside so Lily could hug him. "Stay safe," she said before stepping back, her eyes bright.

Vivienne walked up next. Blue eyes met emerald green. With a gesture, the sounds of the crowd were muted. There was complete and utter silence around them. "This is it. If all goes well, we should be able to stop Voldemort tonight."

Harry nodded. "I'll do my best."

"You won't be alone. The Erlking, Morgana, Puck, and I will make our way to wherever you end up."

"He may not kidnap me," Harry said hopefully.

Vivienne smiled sadly. "He will. This is his best chance to get to you."

"Thanks so much for the comfort," Harry grumbled playfully.

"I'm just being honest," Vivienne said. Leaning forward, she kissed Harry on the forehead, just as she'd done to Lily all those years ago. "I love you," she said. "Raising you has been the greatest time of my life."

Harry ducked his head. "Thanks Godmother," he said quietly. "I love you to."

There was a loud 'bang!' and Vivienne canceled her privacy spell. "Go," she said pushing Harry towards the maze. "We'll see you soon."

_**HPC**_

Wormtail slowly changed back to his human form as soon as Moody had left the maze. Following the old auror to the cup had been surprisingly easy. Sadly, Moody was not as perceptive as he'd once been. Wormtail hesitantly approached the podium where the triwizard cup had been placed. He looked at the golden cup, gleaming in the light of the sunset. Raising his wand, he tapped the cup. A blue glow surrounded it then faded. He smiled in satisfaction. _'Good, now I must return to my master.'_

_**HPC**_

Harry strode down a long winding path between the hedges. He scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing. Reaching out with his magic, he tried to locate any danger, but whatever was in this maze was shielded by powerful enchantments. He scowled. Who would know to shield against magical senses? Dumbledore would, but how would he know what to shield from. He froze as he heard a scraping sound. He stood stock still, listening with all his might.

He'd almost decided that it was one of the other champions passing him, when the hedge beside him exploded. He dove to the floor to avoid flying pieces of wood. Something loomed over him. He could hear it snorting. Hot breath bathed his face, smelling of blood and spoiled meat. Harry kicked with his feet and rolled away from the creature. Scrambling to his feet, he turned to see what had found him.

It was huge, at least ten feet tall, bulging with muscle. Long curving horns jutted from the top of its head. It opened and closed clawed hands the size of car hoods. It bellowed at Harry, revealing a mouthful of razor teeth. _'Minotaur,_ _why did it have to be a Minotaur?'_

Harry ducked as the creature swung at him. The jagged claws carved a section out of the hedge about the size of Harry's head. The creature snorted in rage at Harry's escape. Lowering its head, it charged at him.

Harry released a shadowy whip from his fingertips. Twirling the whip, he tied the beast's legs together, causing it to fall heavily to the ground. Harry backed away, watching as the creature struggled to free itself from the invisible whip. _'Great, I've tied it up, now what do I do.'_ It was then that he remembered what Vivienne had told him about Fae aspects.

"Every Fae has control over one out of two aspects," she had said. "Those aspects are light or shadow. The Fae can create any construct from those aspects. Those constructs can be any size or shape the Fae wishes and can perform any function that the Fae can imagine. Be warned, the bigger and more complicated you make the constructs, the more energy it takes out of you."

Harry sighed. He really didn't want to kill the creature, but he couldn't leave it alive. It may try and hunt him down later and there was no telling what it would do if it found the other champions. Concentrating on his shadows, he imagined long sharp spikes along his shadowy whip. He saw dimples appear in the Minotaur's hairy flesh and heard the creatures scream of agony. With a jerk, the spiked shadow whip sliced off the Minotaur's legs at the knee. Blood spurted from the wounds and the Minotaur's howls became deafening.

Harry looked down at the Minotaur as it writhed on the ground. With a thought, the shadowy whip vanished. The Minotaur didn't seem to notice. Harry lowered his head. He couldn't just leave it here to suffer. Raising his hand, he visualized a long blade of shadows. The blade appeared sticking out of the tips of his fingers. Concentrating hard, he made the blade sharp enough to cut through solid stone. With a grunt, he swung the sword down at the Minotaur.

The creatures head rolled away from its body, coming to rest at Harry's feet. He looked down at the headless corpse, and his eyes widened. The Minotaur's body was melting into a puddle of sludge. _'I've never heard of this happening. What is going on?'_ Forcing his mind away from the sludge on the floor, Harry turned and walked away from the body. Reaching a fork in the path, he turned left and continued deeper into the maze.

He continued walking for several minutes, seeing nothing. A soft twinkling light appeared out of the darkness straight ahead. As he got closer, he realized it was some sort of glowing blue mist. He stopped before the mist, and eyed it warily. After his battle with the Minotaur, he wasn't keen on walking into a trap. Harry looked down at his shadow and grinned. His shadow rose up from the floor, and obeying his mental commands, walked into the mist.

Harry watched with mild surprise as his shadow self was flipped upside down, hanging from the ground by its feet. He stared at this phenomenon, wondering what would happen if his shadow self pulled its foot away from the ground. Taking a deep breath, he gave the mental command.

His shadow self appeared on the other side of the mist. Harry blinked. _'Well, that was… unexpected.'_ He reabsorbed his shadow self. With no more hesitation, He strode into the mist and was promptly flipped upside down. He stared at the night sky below him, dropping away into infinite. He gulped, his heart pounding in his ears. He felt as if he'd fall forever if he moved even an inch. Watching his shadow self go through this was a lot different than going through it himself. What if the mist recognized that it wasn't a real person walking through it? What if he pulled his foot away from the ground and fell away into the sky? _'Enough,'_ he scolded himself. _'This solves no purpose. I can't hang here all night. I've just got to take a deep breath and do it.'_ With an enormous effort, Harry pulled his foot away from the ground.

He found himself standing on the other side of the mist. He looked over his shoulder at the mist, twinkling innocently and shuddered. _'I really hope I don't have to face anything like that again.'_ He turned away from the mist and began walking. Stopping at the next fork he came to, he held his hand palm up, and concentrated. A three-dimensional image of a compass appeared floating above his palm. The needle was pointing to the right fork. He turned right and continued walking.

"Harry?" a voice said from behind him. Harry turned around and saw Vivienne glaring at him. Her teeth were bared and her blue eyes flashed with fury. "I am very disappointed in you."

Harry blinked at her. "What are you talking about?"

"You failed. I sent you here to find the Fae and you couldn't even do that, could you?"

Harry frowned. What was going on here? He'd talked to Vivienne before and she'd said she didn't blame him for not looking for the faerie descendants, but here she was, yelling at him about it. "I thought we talked about this? You said you didn't blame me."

Vivienne glared at him. "Of course I said that. I didn't want to hurt your feelings I," she froze as Harry raised a hand and pointed one finger at her. "What are you doing? How dare you raise a hand to your godmother?"

"My godmother may be disappointed in me sometimes, but she wouldn't hold back to prevent hurting my feelings. She'd tell me right then how she felt. You aren't my godmother. You're just a boggart and I know just how to deal with a boggart."

Before the false Vivienne could say another word, Harry crooked his finger as if firing a gun. A small blue ball of flame about the size of a golf ball left the tip of his finger and hit the false Vivienne right between the eyes. She screamed as the fireball burned a hole straight through her head. Stumbling backwards, she turned to flee, but it was too late. The fire was already spreading throughout her body, burning her alive from the inside out. With a final scream, the boggart Vivienne exploded, leaving nothing behind but a black greasy stain on the ground. The sound of clapping caused Harry to spin around.

"I thought she had you," said a beautiful young woman with long black hair and beady black eyes.

"Who are you?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I am Arachne. Are you looking for the cup?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"I know where it is," Arachne said cheerfully. "Would you like me to take you to it?"

"No," Harry saif firmly. "I can find it myself, thanks."

"Please," Arachne begged. "I just want to help, honest I do."

"No, it wouldn't be fair."

"Fine," she pouted. "I'll just eat you right here." Before his startled eyes, the girl began to change. Her small body swelled and coarse black hair sprouted all over her. Her arms and legs withdrew inside her body and eight twitching legs grew in their place. "Oh hell," Harry almost moaned. Within seconds, Harry was facing a spider almost as big as a baby elephant. "How am I supposed to beat that?" Harry flung out a hand and four shadowy arrows left his fingers. The arrows streaked towards the spider, only to dissipate when they came in contact with the spider.

The spider hissed and began scuttling towards him. Its legs made a horrible scratching sound against the grass. Harry sent a bolt of lightning at the spider, but the electricity just washed over the spider, seeming not to have hurt it at all. Harry tried to freeze the spider with an ice spell, but for the third time, the spell had no effect. Even worse, the spider was almost upon him. Turning, Harry began to run.

He ran blindly making twists and turns at random. Behind him, he could hear the spider closing in upon him. "Got to think," he muttered. "What are spiders afraid of?" Up ahead, Harry saw a glint of gold. As he got closer, he realized it was the triwizard cup. The golden cup was straight ahead of him. _'If I wasn't being chased by a giant spider, I'd be almost relieved. He felt the spider's hairy legs brush the back of his shirt. Suddenly, he had an idea. Stopping before the cup, he waited. Opening his second sight, he could see the blue glow of the portkey charm. He smiled grimly, so this was what Voldemort had planned. He would have to plan this just right. The portkey charm would activate as soon as he touched the cup. He could feel the spider right behind him. Quickly, he darted behind the podium the cup was placed on. _

_The giant spider lunged towards him. As it did, one of its legs brushed the cup. As the spider's leg touched the cup, Harry gripped one of the handles firmly. In a flash of blue light, both Harry and the spider vanished. _


	25. Chapter 25 Twenty-five

_**Twenty-five**_

Harry slammed face first into the ground. He lay motionless for several moments before rolling over and spitting out a mouthful of dirt. Spotting a movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned in that direction. The spider lay on its back a few feet away, legs jerking and twitching rapidly.

"Kill it," a hissing voice commanded. There was a blinding flash of green light and the spider stopped twitching.

Harry leapt to his feet and glared into the darkness. "Whose there," he shouted. "Show yourself. What do you want with me?"

Insane high pitched laughter answered him. "You will help my master."

"Peter," Harry called. "How did you bring me here?"

Wormtails high squeaking laugh came again. "Poor Moody isn't as perceptive as he used to be, is he? No, he's getting old and slow. The poor fool didn't even realize that I'd placed a Portkey spell on the triwizard cup. "

Harry scowled. "I'm not going to help you bring back Voldemort."

"You don't have a choice, dear boy," Wormtail said almost gently. "I will promise you that you will not suffer any more than necessary. My master has assured me of that."

Harry saw a glint of silver in the darkness. "Interesting thing about elven weapons," Wormtail said almost casually. "If we focus our magic through the weapon, it amplifies it a hundred fold. Now, reducto."

Harry dodged the blasting curse and ducked the stunning spell that followed. "My turn," he called. He flung out a hand, sending a high powered cutting spell at Wormtail. A grunt of pain let Harry know his spell had connected. The next second, Harry was screaming in agony. He writhed on the ground, blood pouring from his eyes and ears. He felt hot breath smelling of spoiled meat on his face. He blinked at the man standing above him, his small teeth barred in a cruel smile.

"Not so high and mighty now are you?" he hissed. Harry tried to get up, but his legs were shaking too much to support his weight. "Fulgur," he grunted. A bolt of lightning just missed Wormtails head.

More pain ran through his body. He coughed out more blood. _'He's going to kill me,'_ Harry thought.

Wormtail lifted the elven dagger he was holding, and the pain stopped. "I want you to know," he said, panting. "You brought this on yourself." Drawing back his foot; he kicked Harry viciously in the ribs. "This could have been a lot easier," he said, kicking Harry again, "but no, you just had to make things difficult, didn't you?" He stared up at the sky and screamed, "Why does everyone have to make things so difficult?"

Harry stared up at the little wizard. _'He's insane,'_ he realized. He saw Wormtail raising the elven knife. _'This is it, goodbye, Mum, Vivienne, Ginny.'_

"Wormtail," a low hissing voice snapped. "Do not kill him. If he dies, his blood will be useless."

Harry lifted his head blearily. He watched as Wormtail lowered the knife.

"But master," he nearly whined.

"No buts," Voldemort growled. "Stun him and let's get on with it. We do not have all night and they have to realize he's missing by now."

Harry watched, unable to move, as Wormtail raised the knife. There was a flash of red light, and Harry's world went black.

_**HPC**_

Harry awoke. His entire body throbbed with pain. _'My tongue fills like sandpaper.'_ He tried to move, but some invisible force bound him. A hard surface pressed into his back. His arms and legs were pulled out to the side in a cruciform position.

"Ah, you're awake," Wormtail said. "I am so sorry for the accommodations, dear boy, but we wouldn't want you trying to escape, now would we?"

Ignoring Wormtail, Harry looked around the graveyard. He could see the dead spider several feet away. He frowned. Was it his imagination, or had the spiders legs just twitched? There was a rasping sound and heavy panting. Wormtail appeared dragging a stone cauldron to the foot of the stone where Harry was bound. He turned, and walked back to a bundle in the grass. Lifting the bundle, he cradled it in his arms, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. As he got closer, Harry got a glimpse of the creature wrapped in the blankets.

It looked mostly like a human infant, save for the scaly black skin, glowing red eyes, and pointed teeth. _'What the hell is that thing?'_ Harry thought. Gently, Wormtail lowered the thing into the cauldron. There was a hiss as the thing sank into the potion. The surface of the liquid turned a bright poisonous green.

"Now," Wormtail said, grinning. "We shall begin." Raising his wand, he spoke to the night. With each word, the graveyard seemed to grow darker. "Bone of the Father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son."

The surface of the stone Harry was tied to cracked, The ground shifted, and a skeleton rose out of the earth. It flew through the air and landed in the potion with a splash. The surface of the potion turned from green to a pale sapphire blue.

Wormtail put his wand away in his robes and took out a long silver dagger. He slowly stretched his right arm out before him. "Flesh of the servant," he said his voice rising with every word until he was screaming the words to the night, "willingly given, you will restore your master." He brought the dagger down, slicing through his right arm at the elbow. The severed arm fell into the cauldron with a wet splash. The potion turned the color of freshly spilled blood. Wormtail turned to Harry. Slowly, he began walking towards him. As he approached, Harry struggled against his bindings, but it was no use.

Wormtail brought the dagger across Harry's arm, slicing through his robes and the skin beneath. As the blood dripped into a vial, he spoke. "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

He carried the blood back to the cauldron and poured it inside. There was a blinding flash and the potion turned a bright white. Blue flames shot skyward, obscuring the potion from view. When the flames died away, a curtain of steam obscured the cauldron. A silhouette could be seen in the steam. Voldemort had returned.

Stepping out of the cauldron, he dispersed the steam with a wave of his hand. Reaching down, he lifted a set of long black robes from beside the cauldron and slipped them on. After he was fully dressed, he knelt beside Wormtail. "You have done well my friend," he said. His voice was low and warm, like everyone's favorite uncle. "You will be rewarded for your service. He laid one hand on Wormtail's shoulder. There was a crunching sound, and Wormtail winced. A silver arm sprouted out of the stump where his arm had originally been. Taking the silver hand, Voldemort helped him to his feet.

"Thank you, master," Wormtail said gratefully.

"You have earned my gratitude," Voldemort said bowing. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be trapped in that Albanian forest. You came and freed me. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

He turned to Harry and smiled. His bright blue eyes twinkled as he did, reminding Harry unpleasantly of Dumbledore. "Harry," he said as if meeting an old friend. He stepped closer to the tombstone. "I want you to know that I do not hold anything against you. You were a baby after all and had no control over what happened. That being said, I would like to know how you destroyed my body. I didn't kill your Mother, so that particular protective charm wouldn't have activated. Do you know how you survived?"

Harry was silent. He watched the sorcerer walk closer. A cool hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Come on, Harry," Voldemort said coaxingly. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, just tell me what I want to know and no one need get hurt."

Harry remained silent.

"Nothing to say? Harry, this is pointless. I'll find out what I want to know, I always do, eventually. All you have to do is tell me how you survived my killing curse. I know about the Fae. Did your Mother have contact with them? Did they give you some kind of protection?"

Harry felt his stomach drop. How much did Voldemort know? How could he find out what he knew? He swallowed. "What do you know about the Fae?" he croaked.

Voldemort smiled. "Quite a bit, actually," he said, leaning against the tombstone next to Harry. "I know that one of them was near my hiding place a few months ago. I also know that I didn't put your name into the goblet, although I planned to, I won't deny that, but if I didn't do it, then who did? Do you know?"

Harry shook his head. No sooner had he completed the motion, his body exploded in pain. He screamed, but as soon as the pain had come, it was gone.

Voldemort tsked. "Harry, Harry, Harry, don't lie to me. I can tell when someone lies. Now, tell me everything you know and you can go free." When Harry did not answer, Voldemort sighed. "If that is the way you want it, then fine, but remember, I gave you a choice." Straightening up, he walked away, heading back towards Wormtail. "Hold out your arm," he said to the small man. Wormtail obediently held out his left arm. Voldemort rolled the sleeve up, revealing a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth branded into his flesh. He pressed one long finger to it and the tattoo turned jet black. Wormtail winced, but made no sound. Turning back to Harry, Voldemort smiled.

"Now my true family returns to me."

_**HPC**_

"It's time," the Erlking said.

Merlin, Vivienne, and Lily nodded. They prepared to teleport.

"Wait," Ginny called. "What about me? I'm not leaving Harry there."

"Fine," Merlin said. "We don't have time to argue." Gripping her shoulder, the Erlking vanished, the rest of the group following.

_**HPC**_

Harry watched as cloaked figures appeared all around the graveyard. They stared at Voldemort through their white masks. Then, one by one, they knelt before him. "Master," they murmured.

Voldemort smiled at them. "Welcome home, my family," he said. "We are all together once again. I see you have remained faithful, or have you!"

The masked figures shifted uneasily. "All those years I waited," he continued. "I hoped that at least one of you would come for me, but my hopes were in vain. None of you came for me. Only one remained faithful and true. Step forward, Peter."

Peter stepped out of the shadows and knelt before Voldemort. "Master?"

Voldemort extended a hand. "Rise," he commanded. "You have earned the right to stand at my side. You are my right hand, my second in command. No longer will you be called Wormtail. You will be known by your first name, Peter from this day forward."

Peter bowed low. "Thank you, Master," he nearly sobbed.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward. "My Lord," he began, removing his mask. "Are you sure you want to trust," he paused, "Peter as your right hand? He has always been a mediocre wizard at best."

"Oh?" Voldemort asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who do you think should be my right hand then?"

"My Lord," Lucius said bowing. "I was your most faithful during your previous reign. I would be honored to rule at your side." Lucius stopped speaking as Voldemort threw back his head. His laughter echoed around the graveyard.

"You," he choked. "I wouldn't trust you to lead the lowest of my followers anywhere. You have proven that your loyalty means nothing. As soon as I fell, you vanished. You claimed I had bewitched you into following me. Do you deny it?"

"My Lord," Lucius protested, sweat running down his face. "I had to remain free to…"

"Enough!" Voldemort roared, his blue eyes glowing red. "I think it is time I showed you all what happens when you betray your master." Reaching forward, he gripped Lucius's face between his hands. Lucius tried to pull away, but Voldemort's grip was too strong.

The color began to leave Lucius's face. Wrinkles appeared on his skin, His blond hair turned grey, and his grey eyes became milky. Within a matter of moments, Lucius Malfoy crumbled into dust at Voldemort's feet.

Voldemort calmly brushed his hands off, then kicked Lucius's mask across the graveyard. "Let that be a lesson to all of you," he hissed. "I will not tolerate betrayal again. Do you understand?" There were frantic nods all around.

_**HPC**_

Harry watched as Voldemort drained the life out of one of his followers. How had he done that? No one had ever mentioned Voldemort possessing that ability before. Was it a product of his resurrection ritual? He jumped as Voldemort's voice came from right beside him.

"Here is the star of the show," Voldemort said grandly. "Here is the boy that defeated me all those years ago, Harry Potter." He began pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "You know they thought it was his brother that defeated me? Fools, there was something special about this boy," he said stroking Harry's cheek with one long finger.

Harry shuddered at Voldemort's touch. It felt as if his skin wanted to crawl off his bones to get away from that finger. He heard Voldemort's low chuckle as he removed his finger.

"Master," one of the masked figures called. "How did you survive?"

Voldemort smiled again. "What a story it is," he said, "but my secrets are my secrets. I will just tell you this. I have walked further down the path to eternal life than anyone before me, but enough of that. What are we going to do with Mr. Potter? Does anyone have any ideas?"

_**HPC**_

Vivienne and Merlin watched the group of Death Eaters around Harry. "What are we going to do?"

Merlin didn't answer. His eyes were unfocused. He seemed not to be looking at the people, but through them. _'There is something here,'_ he thought.

"Merlin," Vivienne whispered harshly. "How are we going to free Harry?"

"I'm thinking," Merlin hissed back. "There is some kind of connection the Death Eaters have to Voldemort, but I can't quite tell what it is."

"This is what keeps Voldemort alive?"

Merlin shook his head. "I don't know, but it serves some kind of benefit, that's for sure. We need to take care of this now. Can you stop everyone from leaving the graveyard? We can't allow any of these people to escape."

Vivienne nodded. "Yes, but it'll take time. Also, while I am maintaining the spell I will be unable to fight."

Merlin nodded. "I thought as much. The rest of us will keep them busy. Start working on the spell. Remember, be careful. We can't afford to alert the Death Eaters until the spell is cast."

"Right," Vivienne whispered. Kneeling, she drew a circle in the dirt. She stepped into the circle and with a drop of blood, activated it. A translucent blue barrier sprang up around her. She sat down cross-legged in the center of the circle and closed her eyes. Merlin could feel the power building around her. Crouching low, he hurried over to where Lily, the Erlking, and Ginny were gathered.

_**HPC**_

Morgana and Puck appeared on the opposite side of the graveyard. They hurried behind a tree before anyone saw them.

"Are you sure that you can help us?" Morgana asked. "This won't conflict with your new role as the king of the Unseelie court."

Puck clasped her shoulder reassuringly. "Voldemort poses a threat to all of us. He needs to be dealt with now."

Morgana nodded. "The others are here. Shall we join them?"

Puck grinned. "Let's."

_**HPC**_

"There has to be at least twenty people out there," Ginny whispered.

The Erlking nodded. "Yes, but they'll not be expecting an attack. Our problem is getting Harry loose."

"I have a plan," Puck said from right behind them.

They all jumped and spun around. They relaxed when they saw Puck. "Did you miss me?" the trickster said, bowing theatrically.

"Ignoring what you are doing here," the Erlking growled. "What is your plan? We don't have any more time for talking."

Puck's grin widened. "Watch and learn."

_**HPC**_

"Come now," Voldemort said silkily. "Don't any of you have any ideas at all? This boy is the one who took your master from you. Don't you want revenge?"

The Death Eaters were silent. Voldemort stepped back up to Harry. He leaned forward, stopping inches from Harry's nose. "What about you, Harry? What would you like," he whispered.

"I do have one," Harry said smirking at him.

"Oh? What is that?"

Shadows swirled around Harry and he dropped to the ground. He stretched, feeling the tension ease from his muscles. "Thanks for the rest, but I'm not in to bondage."

Peter shifted nervously. "I am sorry, master, I have failed you," he wailed, dropping to his knees.

"Get up," Voldemort said, annoyance clear in his voice. "You have not failed. This boy is far more than he appears to be."

Peter got up, sniffling. "Thank you, master. You are merciful."

Voldemort grinned. "Yes, I am," he patted Peter on the head before turning back to Harry. "So, Harry, what do we do now, hmm? Are we going to kick box?"

"No!" Harry snarled. Shadows shot from the tips of his fingers, wrapping around Voldemort's wrists and ankles. Voldemort flexed, breaking the shadowy bonds.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but I could hope."

Voldemort chuckled. "You shall be a worthy opponent."

Harry bowed. "Likewise."

Voldemort turned to his followers. "Do not interfere. It is time I proved to you, once and for all, who the most powerful sorcerer in the world is."

Turning back to Harry, he bowed. "Ready to begin?"

Harry nodded. "Let's go."

_**HPC**_

Arachne twitched. _'The humans,'_ she thought. _'They hurt me.'_ She stayed still. Her entire body felt numb. "Yes," she whispered. "They will all pay."

Slowly, she began spinning a web around one of the smaller figures standing a few feet away. She needed food to regain her strength.

_**HPC**_

Harry dodged a fire whip. The whip of flame missed his head and sliced through the top of a headstone, reducing it to rubble.

Harry sent a bolt of lightning at Voldemort, who vanished, reappearing behind Harry.

Harry dove to the ground, avoiding a cutting curse that would have severed his spine if it'd connected. He rolled back to his feet. The two combatants stared at each other, panting. "I'm not use to fighting," Voldemort said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I need to break in this new body."

Harry grinned. "My excuse is that I've been running through a maze all night, but I guess yours is better."

Voldemort waved a hand. Black flames rose out of the ground in front of him. The fire twisted into the shape of a serpent and flew at Harry, mouth wide open, ready to sink its fiery fangs into his flesh.

"Son of a," Harry shouted, leaping out of the way. He watched as the flames turned the ground where he'd stood to glass. "Hellfire," he whispered, horrified.

Voldemort grinned. "I see you know your obscure references. Yes, my boy, it is hellfire. If you surrender now, I'll let you live. What do you say?"

"You're damned," Harry said sadly. "You have blackened your soul beyond repair. What demon is riding you?"

Voldemort sneered, sending a killing curse at him. Harry gestured, and one of the stone angels leapt forward to intercept the curse.

The sickly green light struck the angel in the chest, cracking the stone. The angel brought its stone sword down, striking Voldemort in the arm. There was a wet snap as Voldemort's arm broke.

With a growl of irritation, Voldemort fired a blasting curse at the attacking angel. The angel exploded, sending stone chips in all directions.

"Add desecration of a grave to your list of sins," Harry said mildly.

Voldemort snapped his fingers. The angel reformed, and returned to its original place. "I am not the monster you think I am."

"You are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people."

"Death always occurs in war. It is unavoidable."

"Why do you want a war?" Harry asked. "A war between wizards is pointless. It will only result in the destruction of the wizarding world."

Voldemort sighed. "None of you understand. You all believe me to be a monster, but I am not. I want to save the magical world, not destroy it."

"You have damned your soul," Harry said again. "Is saving the magical world worth that?"

Voldemort raised a single eyebrow. "My soul is only damned if I die."

Harry laughed. "You are a fool. Not even the Fae believe they will live forever."

"I have gone further along the path to immortality. The Fae were not brave enough to do what needed to be done."

Before Harry could speak, a high pitched scream of pain rent the air. Both Harry and Voldemort turned to see spider webs as thick as cables wrapping around Peter.

"What the," Voldemort began. Before he could finish, long spider legs gripped Peter's shoulders, drawing him deeper into the web.

"MASTER," Peter shrieked. "HELP ME."

Voldemort stepped forward, sending a blade of hellfire at the webbing. Nothing happened. The spider looked up at Peter, her eight black eyes glowing. She hissed before turning back to Peter.

"HELP!" Peter howled. There was a crunch as his windpipe gave way. His screams became wheezing gurgles. The spider knelt over Peter's twitching body. Razor sharp pincers tore into his chest, ripping him wide open. Blood splattered everywhere as the spider buried it's maw in the hole it'd made. Peter exhaled his last breath in one last shriek.

"Maaaster." There was a wet crack as Peter's ribs splintered. Wet slurping sounds could be heard as the spider feasted on his internal organs.

Harry heard the other Death Eaters vomiting. Voldemort strode towards the spider. "You killed my servant."

The spider looked up and hissed again. "He hurt me," she hissed before going back to her meal. As it fed, it appeared to grow even larger.

Harry raised his hand; then paused. _'This is my chance.'_ He began inching towards the triwizard cup.

"Where do you think you're going," Voldemort said from right behind him.

"The seaside," Harry said without missing a beat. "I thought I'd get some sun."

Voldemort grinned. "Just because my servant is dead, it doesn't mean that our duel is over."

"What about the spider?"

Voldemort turned back towards the spider. He flung out a hand. A stream of black flames shot towards the spider, who was still feasting on Peter's corpse. It lifted its head just as the flames engulfed it. The spider screamed, sounding disturbingly like a human woman. There was a smell like burning wood as the spider burned. Voldemort turned back to Harry.

"Any more questions?"

"No."

"Wait," a familiar voice said from behind them.

Both turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing in front of them. Lucius smirked at Voldemort. "Did you really think you'd killed me?"

Voldemort gaped. "How," he choked. "How did you…"

"Survive," Lucius asked. "Wouldn't you like to know? Unfortunately for you, I don't live and tell." He winked at Voldemort.

Harry groaned inwardly. That was just tacky. He took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the two men avidly. _'What's he doing? Voldemort could end him.'_

Lucius stepped closer to Voldemort. "The fact is," he whispered. "You are nothing. You failed to kill the boy," he jerked a thumb at Harry, "when he was a baby and now you failed to kill me. What's the matter? Are you losing your touch?"

Voldemort ground his teeth. "I will not be spoken to like that," he hissed. "I am Lord Voldemort…"

"The biggest arsehole in the world," Lucius finished.

"You dare," Voldemort roared. "Have you forgotten that you took my mark? Do you not remember that the mark on your arm binds you to me for all eternity? Through that mark, I can make you suffer like you cannot imagine."

"Really," Lucius said raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you try it?"

Voldemort paused. How had he failed to kill this man? He'd felt him die. He knew he was dead, so how was he standing in front of him now? More importantly, why was he so confident that he would be unable to harm him through the mark? Had Lucius found some way to sever Voldemort's connection to his servants, but that was impossible, wasn't it? "Very well," he said calmly. "I will show you what it means to cross me." He reached out with his magic, and found nothing. There was no mark on Lucius's arm. More puzzling, there was no trace that the mark had ever been there.

"Confused?" Lucius asked mockingly. "Allow me to clear things up for you. The reason you can't find a mark is because I never had one. I'm not Lucius Malfoy." Just like that, Lucius Malfoy was gone. In his place was a tall man with blond hair and piercing green eyes. Two tiny horns jutted from his forehead. "Puck at your service," he said bowing.

"Fae," Voldemort hissed. "I thought I killed you and why do you look so different from before?"

Puck shrugged. "I change forms like certain people change cars. No one knows what I really look like, even if I tell them they do. If I'm honest, not even I remember what my true form is."

"I will murder you," Voldemort said silkily. He raised one hand. I will peal the flesh from your bones, inch by inch and laugh as you scream."

"Sounds kinky," Puck chirped, "but you're not my type. I prefer women. What do you prefer? Men, women, barn yard animals? I don't judge."

With a roar of rage, Voldemort fired a killing curse at the grinning Fae. Puck ducked and the curse soared over his head. It flew on, hitting a Death Eater standing a few feet behind him. The Death Eater fell to the ground, dead.

"That's three Death Eaters down and I haven't even used a spell yet."

Puck broke off as a wall of fire rolled towards him. He dodged again, and then snapped his fingers. Voldemort tripped on the flowery pink dress he now wore, falling flat on his face. Voldemort staggered to his feet and promptly fell again as two inch high-heals appeared on his feet.

Puck tilted his head, examining his handy work before shivering. "That's just wrong."

"I agree," Harry said walking over to stand beside him. "I don't think I'll ever get the image of Voldemort in drag out of my head."

"Yeah," Puck choked, breathing heavily. "I gave him women's underwear to."

"I will murder you," Voldemort hissed as he rose to his feet. With a flick of his hand, his clothes returned to normal.

He gestured and iron chains appeared, flying through the air to encircle Puck.

Puck struggled, but couldn't break free. Voldemort withdrew the bone spike from his robes and walked towards the trickster.

"I was saving this for someone else, but you've humiliated me enough. Do you have any last words before you die?"

"Yeah," Puck got out. "Now Harry."

Harry, who had snuck around behind Voldemort, touched his elven blade to the sorcerers back. "GROW," he shouted. The blade grew, plunging through Voldemort's back and out his chest. Voldemort grunted, exhaling a spray of blood. He fell to his knees; a horrible gurgling sound coming from his throat.

Harry hurriedly withdrew his blade and moved back to face Voldemort. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Death Eaters staring at their master in shock. "Is it over?" he asked as he unchained Puck.

"Not by a long shot," Voldemort said, chuckling. Harry and Puck turned to see him rise to his feet. The wound in his chest had stopped bleeding. "Did you really think it'd be that easy?"

"No," Puck said, "but luckily for us, we brought help." At that moment, a surge of magic went through the graveyard. At the same time, all the Death Eaters fell to the ground, clutching their left arms, screaming in agony.

"What is happening," Voldemort said staring around, wide eyed. He glared at Puck. "What have you done?"

"Me?" Puck said innocently, "nothing. I've just distracted you while my friends did the rest." As he spoke, Ginny, Lily, Morgana, and the Erlking stepped out from behind a mausoleum. Without taking his eyes of Voldemort, Harry spoke.

"What did you guys do?" Harry asked.

Morgana answered. "Vivienne is currently maintaining an anti-apparation ward. It looks like Merlin has severed the Death Eaters connection to Voldemort. Since there was a failsafe built into the Dark Mark that would kill any Death Eater who tried that, well," she gestured at the Death Eaters who were beginning to crumble into dust.

Voldemort stared around at his followers, horrified. With each Death Eater that perished, he felt their magic building up inside of him. His eyes widened as the last of his followers in the graveyard dissolved into dust. "It's still happening."

"That's right," Lily said. "The spell Merlin cast affects all Death Eaters, not just those in this graveyard."

"NO," Voldemort shrieked. "You can't."

"We can," the Erlking growled. "You see, we don't know how you maintained your immortality, but now, it doesn't matter. You will have no followers to resurrect you. Enjoy your eternal life, Tom."

Voldemort was beginning to glow red. "You will pay," he snarled, glaring at Harry. "I may die, but I'm taking you with me."

"No, you are not," Ginny snapped. "It's time you died once and for all."

The small group joined hands, and released all their magic in one titanic blast. White light illuminated the graveyard. All the damage that had been caused by the recent battle was repaired. Voldemort didn't even have time to scream before his body was atomized.

As Voldemort disintegrated, something flew through the air, straight at Harry.

"No!" the Erlking roared, diving in front of Harry. There was a meaty thud, and he flew backwards, landing sprawled on his back.

"No!" Morgana shrieked. All her fear, pain, and loss contained in that one word. She dropped to her knees beside her husband and stared at the bone spike protruding from his chest.

The mighty leader of the Wild hunt lay on his back, his breath coming in short wheezing gasps. Black lines flowed up his arms and across his broad chest. "Did we get him?" he croaked.

"You saved my life," Harry said his voice shaking.

The Erlking coughed, blood trickling out of his mouth. "That's what families do."

"You can't die," Lily said, "not when I just found you."

The Erlking smiled. "We shall see each other again," he whispered. "I promise. Just remember, I will always love you."

Vivienne and Merlin hurried up. "What happened," Vivienne called before seeing the Erlking. "Oh no."

The Erlking beckoned them closer. "Thank you for everything," he said. "You raised my Grandson well. Take care of my daughter."

"I promise," Vivienne said solemnly.

"You can heal him," Morgana said frantically. "You are a healer. Surely, this isn't beyond your power to mend."

"I'm sorry," Vivienne said softly, tears running down her face. "That spike is poisoned and the poison has spread too far. There's nothing I can do."

"Do not blame Vivienne," the Erlking said before Morgana could speak again. He reached out, and she took his hand. "How am I supposed to go on without you?"

"One day at a time," the Erlking said. "Watch over Lily and Harry. They have a lot to learn."

"I promise," Morgana choked out.

"I love you," the Erlking whispered almost too softly for her to hear. As he breathed his last, a blinding white light incased his body from head to foot. When the light faded, the Erlking's body was gone. The only thing left was the bloody bone spike lying in the grass.

_**HPC**_

Voldemort leaned against the frame of his portrait. The image in the painting had changed. The scars and injuries the portrait had sustained had faded. Where a mangled invalid had once been, now stood a tall handsome sixteen year old boy. He brushed his dark hair off his forehead and his blue eyes scanned the room.

"I guess there are worse places to spend eternity," he said to himself. His portrait was protected from every kind of element, both mundane and magical. Even if the house burned down, his portrait would remain intact. He would be back. It may take decades, even centuries, but he had time. He could be patient. He jumped as a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared directly in front of the portrait.

"Did you really think you could stop me from claiming what is mine?" a rasping voice asked.

Voldemort sneered at the eyes. "You will never claim my soul. My portrait is protected from both normal and magical fire. That includes demonic fire."

The rasping voice laughed. "Have you tested hellfire on your portrait? I do not think you have. You see, that portrait is the only thing anchoring your soul to this plane now. You would not have risked destroying it. Nevertheless, let us assume that you are right and the portrait is fireproof. There are other ways of claiming what is mine."

Riddle manor shook violently. Black flames began to crawl across the walls and ceiling. "What are you doing?" Voldemort said nervously.

"You may or may not have protected your portrait from me, but you didn't protect the house from me. I will just drag this house down to hell and you with it, then we shall see if your portrait is immune to hellfire or not."

"No, you can't," Voldemort screamed in panic as the fire engulfed the room and the house sunk into the earth.

The demon laughed. "You promised me your soul, and I always collect what's mine."

Voldemort shrieked in fear and despair as the hellfire engulfed Riddle manor. When the flames died away, the manor was gone. Where it had stood, there was a pit going down into darkness.

A/N

I'm not sure how much I like this chapter, so feedback would be greatly appreciated. I think there's only one chapter left of this story, and maybe an epilogue. I'm not sure.


	26. Chapter 26 Twenty-six

_**Twenty-six**_

Dumbledore waited patiently outside the maize. The castle wards had alerted him as soon as Harry had left the school grounds. _'Soon, Voldemort will return and the war will begin again.'_

"Headmaster?" James asked as he walked up.

Dumbledore jumped, not having heard him approach. "James," he said, his Grandfatherly smile in place. "What can I do for you?"

"Do we know who has won the task yet?"

"No, we are still waiting for one of the champions to come out of the maize."

"How's Harry doing?"

Dumbledore frowned. He'd not expected that question. Why was James asking about Harry? "I don't know that either, James," he answered slowly. "I cannot see into the maize. Why do you ask?"

James shrugged. "Just curious," he said offhandedly.

"All we can do now is wait," Dumbledore continued. "I am certain that they will arrive back soon."

_**HPC**_

The pit where Riddle manor once stood seemed to be bottomless. It fell away into nothing as far as the eye could see. Nevertheless, something was rising out of it. It flew upward at great speed, clearing the pit and soaring into the sky with a burst of flame.

Fawkes circled the pit once before landing on the ground a few feet away. In his claws, he clutched Voldemort's portrait. The edges of the frame were blackened, but the portrait itself was intact. Voldemort stared at the phoenix, his jaw hanging in shock.

"You saved me," he croaked finally. "Another few seconds, and I would've fallen into the fire."

Fawkes nodded and then spoke into Voldemort's mind. 'Had that happened, you would've been beyond my reach. Only one man has ever returned from the pits of hell.'

"But why," Voldemort asked. "Why did you save me? I am evil; you know I am, so why did you grab my portrait before it passed through the gates?"

'I have been given permission to offer you a chance. Keep in mind, if you refuse, you will face the fire again and this time, I will not be there to save you.'

"What sort of chance and why offer it to me? I am dead. Surely, you are aware that my soul cannot be redeemed now."

'You are dead and yet not dead. In essence, you are between life and death, not truly dead, and also not truly alive. In instances such as this, it is left up the higher powers than I to decide your fate.'

Voldemort snorted. "Why would these so-called powers take an interest in me now?"

Fawkes stared at the former sorcerer. 'Because they know that the greatest good can come from the blackest evil. You are not the greatest evil, far from it. You did everything that you did because you believed you were saving the magical world. Yes, you did some terrible things, some inexcusable things, but no one is beyond redemption if they so choose.'

"I did nothing I didn't have to," Voldemort snapped. "Everything I did was for the greater good of the magical world."

'And that is your problem,' Fawkes said calmly. 'You refuse to believe that you did anything wrong. You never really grew past that scared little boy in the orphanage, did you? Now that I think of it, your entire reign was based on your fear of death. In that respect, you are no different from everyone else.'

"What are you talking about?"

'Everyone fears death at least a little,' Fawkes explained. It is the road that every living thing must travel? Your name, Voldemort, means flight from death. That means that you fear death more than most don't you.'

"Only the weak die," Voldemort snarled.

Fawkes just stared at him in silence. 'If you continue to have that attitude, then there is nothing I can do to help you.'

"I never asked for your help, did I?"

'No, I suppose you did not, but I was instructed to make the offer and I have made it. Now consider your options, son of Riddle. Think carefully, for once your choice has been made, it cannot be changed.'

_**HPC**_

Harry appeared on Hogwarts grounds in a flash of blue light. He lay face down in the grass, unmoving. He rolled over onto his back as he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up into twinkling blue eyes.

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "I see you've had a very trying experience in the maize. Care to come to my office and tell me about it?"

Before Harry could respond, Lily pushed her way through the crowd to reach him, followed closely by Ginny. "Harry," she called as she approached.

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore began running as soon as he saw the flash of blue light. He needed to get to Harry first. He had to get the boy to his office and find out what'd happened in his meeting with Voldemort. He reached the boy just as he rolled over onto his back. He smiled down into his golden green eyes. "Ah, Harry, I see you've had a very trying experience in the maize. Care to come to my office and tell me about it?"

He saw a flash of something in the boy's eyes. Was it fear? If it was, so much the better, if the boy was afraid of him, he would be more likely to answer his questions. His musings were interrupted when he heard Lily's voice. "Harry."

He turned, scowling, and saw Lily and Ginny Weasley hurrying up. "What happened?" Lily asked as she helped Harry to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Lily," Dumbledore interjected. "I believe Harry was taken off the school grounds. I need to know what happened while he was away."

Lily looked up at him, frowning. "What are you talking about? What do you mean 'what happened?'"

Dumbledore looked around at the cheering crowd converging on them. "Not here," he whispered. "Please, will you bring Harry to my office? It is of the upmost importance. What happened in that graveyard tonight could mean the difference between life and death."

For just a second, Lily's emerald green eyes turned an icy blue. Dumbledore blinked and Lily's eyes were their normal green again. It must have just been a trick of the light. "Very well," she said, "but only if Harry agrees."

Harry looked up at her and nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent," He turned to Ginny. "Run along Ms. Weasley," he said kindly. "I'm sure Harry will tell you what he feels comfortable with later."

"I have no problem with her coming with us if she likes," Harry said quietly.

"Nor I," Lily agreed.

Dumbledore winced internally. _'I don't want any more people involved in this than necessary, but it appears that I have no choice.'_ "Very well," he said agreeably. "Come along then, Ms. Weasley."

As they started across the grounds, James fell into step beside them. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

Lily looked up at him. "I don't know," she said shortly.

The rest of the walk to the castle passed in silence.

_**HPC**_

Lily shifted in her chair and looked over at Morgana. She stared around the sitting room of her quarters, seeming nothing. Her Father was dead? She hadn't even known him a year, and he was dead. How was she supposed to deal with this? She needed something to take her mind off things. "I should be with Harry,' she said for the fourth time. "I'm his mother. It is my responsibility to be there for him in times like this.'

Morgana looked up at Lily, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Vivienne can handle it. She is a master at glamour. No one will know it isn't you unless she allows it." So saying, she went back to staring at the wall.

Lily scowled. What was she doing here? She had no clue how to comfort her Mother. How did you comfort a Mother about the death of a Father you barely knew? "How are you feeling," she asked finally.

"I don't know," Morgana said softly. "I don't how to feel. I hadn't seen him for twenty years. I was so looking forward to working on our relationship and now that will never happen."

Lily stood and made her way over to Morgana. Wrapping her in a hug, she dropped her head onto her Mothers. "It'll be alright. We'll get through this, somehow."

_**HPC**_

Dumbledore sank into the chair behind his desk with a sigh of relief. It'd been a long day and showed no signs of being over. He gestured at the chairs across from his desk and watched as Lily, Harry, James, and Ginny sat.

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore began. "Tell me…"

"Wait," Lily interrupted. "How did you know?"

"Pardon?" Dumbledore asked confused.

"How did you know that Harry was taken to a graveyard? I didn't know that until you told me."

Dumbledore couldn't hide a wince. "I," he began.

"Did you know what Voldemort was going to do tonight?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore winced again. "Is he back?"

"No," Harry growled. "He's dead."

"You did know?" James snapped. "You deliberately put my son in danger?"

Dumbledore stared at James. "James, my boy," he began. "It was all for the greater…"

"I am so sick of hearing about the greater good," James roared. "I've helped you all these years and no good has come from it."

Dumbledore turned back to Harry, ignoring James for the moment. "I'm afraid you must be mistaken dear boy," he said patronizingly. "Voldemort has performed many dark rituals to insure that his soul can survive the death of his physical body."

"Snape is dead isn't he?"

Dumbledore stared at the boy. "What?"

"You heard me, or do you not know? Snape is dead along with every other marked Death Eater."

Dumbledore stared at Harry aghast. "You, you killed them?" he whispered.

"No," Harry said shortly. "The mark had a failsafe that killed them." He decided to stop there. Explaining the full cause of the Death Eaters demise would be too complicated.

"But," Dumbledore spluttered. "Now they cannot be redeemed."

"Their souls are not my problem," Harry snapped. "I'm not God."

Dumbledore stared at Harry. "You do not deny that Voldemort is still alive then?"

"In spirit, perhaps," Harry answered. "However, with no followers, he won't be able to return."

"Voldemort has an uncanny ability to find followers," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Well," Harry said. "Now you have plenty of time to hunt down whatever it is that anchors him to life, don't you?"

Dumbledore nodded absently. Things had not gone to plan at all. He'd planned for Voldemort to return and start a war with the wizards. Dumbledore would then have proposed an alliance to destroy the Fae to get Harry back under his control. After the Fae had been dealt with, he would imprison Voldemort for his many crimes. Now that was impossible. He only had one trump card to play. Harry had to stay in the wizarding world. It was for the greater good. He stared straight into Harry's eyes as he spoke. "I know that you are Fae."

"James who had been silent up to this point, leapt to his feet. "What?"

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "Yes," he said. "Harry here is half-Fae, which means Lily broke more rules than we thought, didn't you Lily?"

There was no mistaking it this time. Lily's eyes definitely flashed an icy blue. "I am no adulteress," she hissed. "How dare you call me that and imply that my son is a bastard."

Dumbledore smiled thinly. "The facts are right in front of us. Do you deny that Harry has Fae blood?"

_**HPC**_

Lily had just made her sixth circuit of the room when Puck appeared. "Lily, you need to come now."

Morgana looked up. "What has happened?"

"Dumbledore knows about Harry's Fae blood. He is currently calling you an adulteress and questioning Harry's paternity."

Without a word, Lily vanished, appearing outside the door to Dumbledore's office. She threw open the door and was just in time to hear Dumbledore say; "Do you deny that Harry has Fae blood?"

"He gets it from me," she said icily.

_**HPC**_

The occupants of the office stared from the Lily in the doorway to the Lily sitting in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Well," said the Lily in the chair. "The cats out of the bag now, isn't it?"

In the next second, Vivienne sat calmly in the chair, her blue eyes fixed on Dumbledore. She spoke to Lily without turning her head. "I told you I could handle this."

"No one calls me an adulteress whore."

Dumbledore stared at Vivienne in shock. "You," he spluttered. "I banished you."

"Not permanently," Puck said appearing beside Lily in the doorway.

"Oh great another one," James snapped.

Puck tilted his head. "I don't remember you being this big of a racist bigot when we went to school together."

James blinked at the trickster. "What are you talking about? We never went to school together."

Puck put a hand to his chest as if wounded. "Don't you remember your best friend?" With those words, Puck was gone and Sirius Black stood in his place.

James stared at him, shocked. "S-Sirius?"

"Bingo," Sirius said calmly. "How have you been, James?"

"You're Fae?"

"Yep, the black family mated with the Seelie and Unseelie court over the centuries. Most of the members of my family were at least part Fae. Me, I'm mostly Fae. The black family agreed to a changeling trade for both My Mother and Father. An adoption ritual later, and I'm a Black."

"But," James sputtered. "Your family was the biggest bunch of pureblood supremacists I ever heard of."

"Yes and no," Sirius said smiling. "They were pureblood magical supremacist's not pureblood wizard supremacists."

"But I saw you every day. You were with Brian and me."

"Very complicated and cleverly made fetch," Sirius said grinning. "Took Vivienne and I ages to get the enchantments right."

"But," James said again. "Dumbledore said it takes centuries for a Fae to master their powers. You've only had thirty-four years at most."

Sirius shrugged. "Vivienne sent me back in time so I could master my powers. The only condition was that I couldn't leave Elphame. She sent me about three hundred years back into the past. That's how I acquired the name Puck."

James sank back into his chair, defeated. "What about Remus," he asked tiredly. "Did he lie to me to?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I never lied to you James," he said softly. "I insured that you still had your best friend. I didn't have to do that. I could have just left without a word, but I didn't."

"Why did you leave?" James burst out.

"Harry is my Godson," Sirius said softly. "I needed to be there for him. He didn't know who I was until now. He just thought I was a lovable uncle figure. I didn't tell him who I was because I didn't want to remind him of you and Lily. I wanted him to have as happy a life as possible."

"That is quite enough," Dumbledore said sharply. "Sirius, I am afraid I will have to place you under arrest."

"You don't have the authority," Harry said quietly.

"I am the chief of the wizarding court in Britain," Dumbledore said firmly.

"Which means you could issue an arrest warrant," Harry interrupted. "However, you cannot make the arrest yourself. Besides, what grounds would you arrest him?"

"Why, for consorting with the Fae, of course," Dumbledore said as if it were obvious.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That was his family's crime, not his."

"He has been consorting with the Fae for three hundred years by his own admission."

Harry stood slowly. "That's kind of like telling a human not to consort with other humans. It's kind of hard not to when you live with them."

Dumbledore stood as well. "Stand aside, boy, I don't want you to get hurt. He chose to live with the Fae. It is no one's fault but his own."

Harry took a defensive stance. "If you want my Godfather, you're going to have to go through me."

"Harry, no," Sirius began. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me.'"

Harry spoke without taking his eyes off Dumbledore. "All year you, Mum, and Vivienne have helped me. You've all protected me. Hell, you saved my life tonight. Now, it's my turn. Let me do this for you."

Sirius looked at Lily and Vivienne for help. "Guys, a little help here?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "That's girls, thank you." She looked at Harry. "Do you really have to do this?"

Harry nodded. "I've been protected all year. I need to do this I need to fight one battle by myself. I need to know that I can win on my own."

Lily nodded this time. "Alright, but remember, we will be there if you need us."

Harry twitched his shoulders. Stepping forward, he bowed to Dumbledore. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Do we really have to do this?" Dumbledore asked sadly. "I do not want to harm you."

"And I don't want to hurt you, but I will if it means protecting my family."

"I assure you that Sirius will have a fair trial."

"From a world that hates his entire race, I don't think so."

Dumbledore drew his wand. "I will not hold back."

"I don't expect you to."

"There's just one last thing."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Quick as a flash, Dumbledore banished an object from one of his shelves at him. Reflexively, Harry caught the small silver ball and vanished in a flash of light.

Calmly, Dumbledore turned on his heal, and vanished from his office.

"Where'd they go?" Lily asked leaping to her feet.

"I don't know," Sirius said. He turned to James. "Do you know?"

James shrugged. "Don't know," he said looking tired.

_**HPC**_

Harry blinked as he reappeared in a small field. As he looked around, he saw a small cottage sitting on a hill. "Where am I?"

"You are in the field behind my house. I didn't want to wreck my office."

Harry raised a hand, pointing his fingers at Dumbledore. With a thought, he unleashed a jet of blue lightning at the elderly wizard.

Dumbledore casually deflected the lightning. "A bit quick on the draw, aren't you?"

Harry waved a hand, transmuting a rock into a snarling wolf. The wolf leapt at Dumbledore, teeth bared.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and the wolf exploded into bloody chunks. The chunks became pebbles before they hit the ground.

"Boy, if this is all you've got, this won't be a long fight." As he spoke, a fire whip left his wand, arcing through the air to strike Harry in the face.

Harry ducked, but smelled burning hair. Turning his palm out ward, Harry began drawing the heat out of the air around Dumbledore. Ice began forming on the edges of Dumbledore's cloak. It spread rapidly, covering his legs in a few seconds.

Frowning, the old wizard twitched his wand, melting the ice with a burst of flame. However, as fast as the ice melted, it reformed thicker than before. His frown deepening, he performed a complicated movement with his wand, and sunlight blazed in the night sky. The ice on his legs immediately began melting, unable to stand up to the intense heat of the artificial sunlight. "If this is what the mighty Fae have to offer, I am very disappointed." He swished his wand through the air. Six silver spikes left his wand. Two went for Harry's eyes, two went for his heart, and two went for his knees.

Harry was forced to throw himself backwards to avoid the spikes. He landed hard on the ground and rolled. He cried out at a sharp pain in his calf. He looked down at the spike sticking out of his leg just below the knee. Hurriedly, Harry reached down, and pulled the spike out of his leg, crying out as he did so. Without looking, he fired a shadowy blade at where he thought Dumbledore was standing. A grunt of pain let him know he'd at least made contact. He climbed painfully to his feet; his injured leg shook violently, but held. He looked over at the headmaster.

Blood dripped from Dumbledore's right arm and the fingers on that hand twitched spasmodically. "Lucky shot," he said mildly. Switching his wand to his left hand, he waved it over his injured arm. The bleeding slowly stopped, and the wound closed. "It's not a permanent fix, but it'll do for now."

Harry meanwhile was examining his leg. Like Dumbledore's arm, there was no permanent damage. However, the bone was cracked, and he thought the muscle might be torn as well. _'It's definitely going to impair me the rest of this fight, but there's no help for it.'_

"Give up boy," Dumbledore said softly. "Your leg is in worse shape than my arm. You cannot win."

"I can't do that," Harry said quietly. "I have to beat you."

"Very well," Dumbledore said indifferently. "I will end this fight quickly." With that, the real fight began.

Dumbledore sent a chain of spells flying at Harry. Six more spikes, followed by a black bolt of lightning, and ended by a hailstorm of spinning razorblades.

Thinking fast, Harry reached for a ley line, and stepped into it. He watched as the spells passed him, striking the ground where he'd been standing. The explosion as the arcane energy struck was deafening. Had Harry not had his feet firmly planted in the ley line, he may have fallen. As it was, he was merely rocked by the blast. He watched as the ground where he'd stood shattered, leaving a crater deep enough to qualify as a grave.

Dumbledore hadn't been as lucky as Harry. As Harry stepped out of the line, he saw Dumbledore just picking himself up from the ground. "Not bad," the old man panted, "but it's not over yet."

"No," Harry said calmly. "It's not. Reaching out, he gathered energy from the ley line. Molding the energy in his hand, he formed a ball of eldritch lightning. He threw the ball of electricity at the elderly wizard.

Dumbledore was too slow to dodge the attack and took the lightning full in the chest. He screamed as the electricity flowed through his body. It felt as if every nerve had been set alight. He fell to the ground, his arms and legs jerking uncontrollably.

Harry approached the downed wizard hesitantly. When he was a few feet away, he reached out with a tendril of shadow to take Dumbledore's wand.

Dumbledore's eyes snapped open as he felt the tug on his wand. "No," he snarled. "You've taken one wand from me, you will not take another. He thrust his free hand at Harry, sending him flying backwards. He landed hard on his back, winded. Dumbledore stood over him, teeth bared in a hideous grin.

"I went easy on you too long," he growled, "but no more. It's time I wiped your stain from the world, once and for all."

Harry ignored him. Rolling away from the wizard, he finally gained his feet again and stared at Dumbledore.

The old wizard looked decidedly worse for wear. His face and hands were charred, one eye had swollen shut, and part of his robes appeared to have been fused to his skin. "It's over, Dumbledore," he panted. "You can't win now. You're in far worse condition than I am."

Dumbledore jabbed his wand at him. An unknown spell shot towards Harry, causing the air to ripple as it came. Harry hastily conjured a wall of solid stone to block the spell.

There was a crack as the spell hit the stone wall. Harry watched in awe as the wall split from top to bottom, falling to either side of him in two neat halves. He pulled back his thumb and pointed his index finger at Dumbledore like a gun. Curving his index finger as if pulling a trigger, he fired a silvery blue ball of light about the size of a marble from the tip of his finger. The silvery ball flew at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore waved his wand and a translucent golden shield appeared before him. There was a loud 'gong,' as the ball of light struck the shield, and Dumbledore winced. He slashed his wand at Harry, firing a jet of neon green flames.

Harry leaned to the side, just managing to dodge the fire. "What is it with you and fire," he called.

Dumbledore ignored him, twirling his wand over his head; he brought it swishing down to point at him. A blue ball of flame left the tip, expanding in size as it flew towards the young Fae.

Harry attempted to deflect the fireball, but it wouldn't be moved. His eyes widened as the fireball got closer. He attempted to dive to the ground to allow the fireball to pass over him, but the fireball followed him. He rolled left then right, trying to get out of the path of the flames, but no matter which way he moved, the fire was right behind him.

"You can't dodge that, boy," Dumbledore called. "Soul spells lock on to the magical signature of their target. They won't stop until they've struck home."

Harry's eyes widened. How did Dumbledore know how to construct soul spells? That magic had been lost for a thousand years. Leaping to his feet, he ran one way, then the other. He could feel the heat of the flames on his neck. It had almost caught him. _'It's no good,'_ he realized. _'I'm going to be burned alive. Wait a second, that's it._' Throwing all caution to the wind, he ran straight at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Harry grinned. "You want fire? Here, have it. He put on an extra burst of speed and at the last minute, he leapt over Dumbledore, landing behind him. Dumbledore screamed as he was engulfed by his own fire.

_HPC_

Back in the office, Vivienne stared into a bowl of water on Dumbledore's desk. "Come on," she said standing up.

"What happened," said Lily and Sirius together.

"The battle is over. Harry's won."

_**HPC**_

Vivienne, Sirius, Ginny, and Lily appeared in the field behind Dumbledore's home. "Harry," Ginny called as soon as she saw him. She hurried to him, beginning to examine him for wounds. "Are you alright?"

"He's dead," Harry said dully. "I think I killed him."

Vivienne knelt beside Dumbledore. He looked truly horrible now. She touched his forehead, about the only place on his body not horribly burned. "He's alive," she said shortly, "but only just. What happened?"

Harry flinched. "He used soulfire on me. I was able to arrange it so the fire hit him instead of me."

Sirius frowned as he approached Dumbledore. "I thought a wizards magic could not harm him or her."

"It can't," Vivienne said shortly, "But soul spells are different. They are energy, but not magic. Once they're unleashed they can harm anyone, including the caster."

"So what do we do with him," Lily asked. "We can't just leave him here."

"No," Vivienne said. "He is too well known. We'll have to heal him."

"Won't he just come after us?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Vivienne said, "but I see no other option."

"There is another way," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Do tell," Vivienne said. "We're all ears."

_**HPC**_

Fawkes fluttered his wings. "What is your decision, Tom? I don't have all night."

Voldemort had been thinking. He didn't want to lose his identity, but he also didn't want to go to hell. "I'll do it," he said reluctantly. "How does this work?"

Fawkes lifted into the air and flew down in front of Voldemort's portrait. "Like this," he said wrapping his wings around the portrait. There was a flash of light and Fawkes burst into flames. In a matter of seconds, the portrait was blazing. Voldemort had time for his eyes to widen before his portrait, and Fawkes, was reduced to ash.

_**HPC**_

_**France, Unknown date, 1330.**_

The young woman held a baby in her arms. She looked up at her husband. "What should we name him?"

"Nicholas," her husband said. "Nicholas Flamel."

_**HPC**_

_**Present day.**_

Dumbledore groaned. He was so tired. What'd happened? Why did he feel so week?

"You're lucky we healed you," Sirius said coldly. "We could have just left you there to die."

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked. "What did you do to me?"

"Nothing," Vivienne said coming into the room. "You did this to yourself."

"Did what?" Dumbledore said trying to sit up.

Sirius pushed him roughly back onto the bed. "I prefer you to stay right where you are."

"Here is how this will work," Vivienne said stonily. "You now owe us a life debt." At Dumbledore's horrified look, she smiled grimly. "Don't worry; we aren't going to ask anything too difficult. We just want you to leave us alone while we close the gates of Elphame."

"You're leaving?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Vivienne said. "We will be leaving in a few weeks. We just have a few loose ends to tie up."

"What makes you think I would try and stop you? I only want Harry to stay. The wizarding bloodlines need an infusion of fresh blood."

"Seek out your muggleborns," Sirius said sharply. "The Fae will not be helping you anymore."

"You don't seem to realize that you have no choice," Vivienne said. "We or more specifically, I saved your life. That means by the law of magic, you owe me a debt. I am not asking what should happen. I am telling you what will happen."

Dumbledore glared up at her. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you lose your magic, and at your age, you would die."

"Death is naught but the next great adventure," Dumbledore said wisely. "I do not fear it."

"That may be true, but are you willing to die for a pointless cause? If you die, we can leave the wizarding world unmolested. If you live, you get to enjoy corrupting the minds of students for a few more years."

Dumbledore stared up at her, a sinking feeling in his stomach. There was no way to circumvent a life debt. He had lost. There was nothing he could do to keep Harry in the wizarding world. He dared not even ask someone to do it for him. The magic of the debt might see that as interference and kill him. "I will acquiesce to your demands," he said lowering his head.

"Thank you," Vivienne said softly. She touched his shoulder gently. "Look at it this way, at least this way, no one gets hurt."

Dumbledore nodded, but did not look at her. Sirius stepped forward. "Come on," he said helping the old man off the bed. "I'll take you back to Hogwarts."

_**HPC**_

Remus stared at Sirius. "You are serious, no jokes. Puck was you the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't. I was afraid you would turn me in to Dumbledore. While I could defeat him, it would have caused more trouble than it solved."

"So what do you want with me now?"

"We are rounding up all the Fae and magical creatures that want to leave the wizarding world. The Fae have decided to close the gates of Elphame forever. Apparently, having contact with wizards is too much trouble."

"And you want me to come with you?" Remus asked incredulously. "Aren't they worried about my condition?"

"No, they're not. The magic of Elphame will make you part Fae. That will neutralize your lycanthropy. Who knows, you may even find a wife."

"What about James?"

"He is getting the same offer. Lily doesn't trust him anymore, but she doesn't want to make the same mistake she made with Harry. She also doesn't want to deprive Brian of his Father, so she is giving James the opportunity of migrating to Elphame."

"Won't we be persecuted as wizards?"

"The no Fae/wizard contact was a policy created by wizards. The Fae didn't abide by it. Avalon has wizards? They've lived on Avalon for centuries. Granted, most of them are some kind of shapeshifter, but they're still wizards."

"Okay," Remus said. "When do we leave?"

Sirius smiled and clapped Remus on the back. "In about a week or two. Argante wants to make sure that there are no more Fae in the Wizarding or muggle world and Ginny wants to ask her parents if they want to come."

"Ginny Weasley is going with you?"

"Yeah, her parents treated her appallingly, so she decided to come to Elphame."

"Let me know when we leave, and I'll meet you wherever the gate to Elphame is."

Sirius nodded. "We'll do."

With his work there done, Sirius vanished. He had some people to talk to, and some people to collect.

_**HPC**_

Sirius reappeared outside a large colorfully decorated house. No sooner had he fully materialized, than a petite blond was skipping towards him.

"Is it time to go," she asked cheerfully.

Sirius smiled at her. "Yes, it's time. We won't be closing the gates for another week or so, but I thought I'd come and collect you and your Father. Are you ready to go?"

"Yup," Luna said. "I'll go get my Daddy."

A few moments later, Luna returned with a tall scrawny, white haired man about sixty years of age. The man looked at Sirius with silvery blue eyes and remarked, "That's a nice glamour, and blood magic isn't it?"

Sirius blinked. "Y-yes," he stammered. "How did you…"

"Know?" the man asked. "My friend I know a lot of things. Now," he said rubbing his wrinkled hands together. "Shall we get going?"

"S-sure, I'll be taking you to Avalon. They'll set you up with a new home. Do you have everything? I don't think you'll be able to come back once the gates are shut?"

Luna and her Father looked back at their house, their expressions turning sad. "My wife died in that house," Mr. Lovegood said finally. "If I never see that house again it'll be too soon."

Sirius nodded. Taking their hands, he vanished.

_**HPC**_

"No Sirius," Nicholas said looking over the top of his spectacles at the man. "Perenelle and I are going to stay here. We've talked about it, and kind as your offer is, we do not want to move to Elphame."

Sirius frowned at Nicholas. It had taken him over a week to track him down, and here he was refusing his offer. "But the stone," he said desperately "It has ingredients from Elphame in it. If its magic fails when the gates close, you'll die."

Nicholas smiled at him. "We're ready to go if it does," he said kindly. "We have lived a long life for mortals. I can't speak for Perenelle, but I am tired. I could use a long rest."

Sirius leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his fire whisky. "You are sure?" he asked. "We would love to have you. Avalon's magic would restore your youth without need of the stone.

"Yes," Nicholas said, "We are. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on Dumbledore. We'll use the stone to restore our life one last time, just to keep an eye on him. When that life's over, if the stone fails, we will die."

Sirius looked at the old man. He watched his white hair blowing in the breeze coming through the open window. "There's nothing I can say to change your mind?"

Nicholas shook his head. "Then I wish you good luck."

"Thank you, my boy, you to." Nicholas said as he stood up to lead Sirius out.

After he'd gone, Nicholas returned to his study and sat down. He had told Sirius the truth as far as it went. He was tired and he was ready for a rest, but he was also afraid. He was afraid what would have happened if he'd gone to Elphame. He may have been tempted. Better to avoid temptation all together. He'd lived a long, long life and he was content. His final work would be to make sure Dumbledore never found a way into Elphame. He smiled to himself. That should be enough work for what remained of his life.

_**HPC**_

Ginny reappeared in Avalon, tears rolling down her cheeks. She'd just come from talking to her parents and it hadn't gone well. They had absolutely refused to come with her to Elphame and had attempted to stop her from leaving. Luckily, Vivienne had been with her and had managed to spirit her away.

"They both refused," she said mournfully.

Vivienne wrapped her in a hug. "I am so sorry," she whispered into her hair.

Ginny pulled back, wiping tears off her cheeks. "How can I choose? They have been truly awful to me, but how can I leave them behind?"

Vivienne was silent for a moment. "You shouldn't have to," she said finally. "Look, we'll be closing the gates, but I'll create a portal on Avalon. Only you, or a member of your bloodline, will be able to use it. You can use that portal to visit your parents, if you like."

Ginny looked up at her hopefully. "You would do that for me?"

Vivienne smiled and nodded, kissing her forehead. "The closing of the gates was never meant to break apart families. I see no reason that it should break apart yours. We will not make you choose between your family and us."

"What about Lily?"

"She is still talking to James. If he refuses to see reason, I will make her the same offer. I will not make her choose between Brian and Harry."

Argante entered the room and smiled at Ginny. "I see Vivienne told you about the portal."

Ginny stared up at her Grandmother. "You knew?"

"Yes," Argante said simply. Vivienne checked with Puck and me before beginning work on the portals construction. She wished to make sure that we would not mind such a portal being constructed."

"And you don't," Ginny asked, "mind that is."

Argante shook her head. "No, I don't. I am a member of your bloodline, so I may be able to use this portal to get to know my son. Maybe one day I can convince him to come home."

Ginny nodded and hugged Argante.

Argante hugged her back before looking over at Vivienne. "It is done," she said simply. "I have checked the mortal world thoroughly. The only Fae left in the mortal world are the Veela, and Harry is talking to them now. Lily is having one last talk with James, so when they both get back with their parties respective answers, we can close the gates."

Vivienne nodded. "All we can do now is wait."

_**HPC**_

James looked up at Lily. "You would take my son?" he asked brokenly.

Lily stared back, a pleading expression on her beautiful face. "Only if he wants to come. Please James, come with us."

James looked over at Brian. "What do you think, son?"

Brian shrugged. "I've been pretty rotten my whole life. I'd like a chance at a new start."

James looked over at Lily. "What about us? Can you forgive me for everything that I've done?"

Lily didn't answer right away. "I don't know," she said finally, "but if you don't come with us, then there is no chance for reconciliation."

James stood up. "If Brian's going then there is no reason for me to stay. If you will allow it, I'd like to come."

Lily smiled. "Come along then," she said offering her hand to Brian. She led them out of the room, James following.

_**HPC**_

Morgana stood before Puck in the throne room of the Unseelie court. She bowed to him. "Will you accede to my request?"

Puck looked at her. "Why?" he asked. "Why do you want to stay here?"

"I need some space," Morgana said. "I need time to get over my husband's death. I can't do that on Avalon. Every time I look at Lily, I seem him."

Puck sighed. "Grief should be handled with family. You should really be with Lily during this time."

"She didn't really know him," Morgana said. "She didn't really remember him. I know she is having difficulty comforting me. She's going to have a lot on her plate, dealing with James and Brian. Please, Puck, will you help me?"

Puck was silent for a while, stroking his chin with one long finger. "Alright," he said finally. "I'll give you sanctuary here for a year. After that year, you must return to Avalon, agreed?"

Morgana sighed in relief. "Thank you, Puck," she said. "Thank you for everything."

_**HPC**_

Harry walked into the throne room of Avalon a few hours later. He was tired. He'd pleaded with the Veela to reconsider, but they'd been adamant.

"We do not need to leave the wizarding world," the Veela leader had said. "Unlike most other Fae, we breed true.'"

"But the wizards persecute you," Harry had argued. "They call you dark creatures. They may turn on you some day and attempt to wipe you out."

"We are not interested in what may happen," the Veela leader said firmly. "We only know what will happen."

In the end, only Fleur and her family had agreed to come to Elphame. As Harry entered the throne room, he heard gasps behind him.

"Wow," Fleuur said. "This is Elphame?"

"Yes," Harry answered without turning. He walked straight towards his Godmother. She must have heard him approach, for she turned around and smiled.

"I assume that this is the Veela's that agreed to come?"

Harry nodded. "Only one family."

"That is enough," Vivienne said. She turned to Puck and Argante. "Is this everyone?"

Puck nodded. "Yes, Remus is safe in one of the guest quarters in the Unseelie court."

"Then let us begin," Vivienne said. The three rulers joined hands and began chanting in unison.

"Gates of Elphame hear our call, close off this land once and for all."

Harry raised an eyebrow as a gate of shadows and light appeared in the throne room. As they all watched, the gate swung slowly shut. Lightning flashed across the skies of Elphame, and there was the sound of ringing metal throughout the realm. There was a concussion that was felt, rather than heard then silence.

"Is it over?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Vivienne said. "There is now only one portal out of Elphame."

"So what do we do now?" Harry asked.

Ginny walked up to him and kissed him thoroughly. When she pulled back, she was smiling.

"We live," she said, leaning her forehead against his.

Harry wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Sounds good to me."

A/N Well it's done.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this story. If you did, will you please take a moment to review? I'd like to hear what you think.

Till next time, this is Wizmage, signing off.


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